Birth Rights Rally in September: Who's Coming & Co-ordinators

[BellyBelly]

I have posted this here in response to the media which has today leaked that it is infact going to be illegal for midwives to attend homebirths in 2010, risking a $30,000 fine if they do.

Law to stop midwives working outside hospitals | The Daily Telegraph - btw. please vote 'no' in that poll should homebirth be banned.


WE NEED YOUR HELP - WE NEED TO UNITE AND DO SOMETHING TRULY PASSIONATE AND BE HEARD!!!! WOMAN POWER ALL THE WAY....

Login | Facebook

If you plan on attending please reply to this thread.

Host: Homebirth Australia
Type: Causes - Rally
Date: Monday, September 7, 2009
Time: 11:30am - 2:30pm
Location: Parliament House, Canberra
City/Town: Canberra, Australia
Email: info@homebirthaustralia.org

HOME - EVERY WOMAN?S BIRTH RIGHT ? RALLY FOR HOMEBIRTH ? MONDAY SEPTEMBER 7 2009, PARLIAMENT HOUSE CANBERRA

Homebirth Australia is hosting a MAJOR rally in Canberra (outside Parliament House) on Monday September 7 from 11.30am.

There has been much discussion about the potential outlawing of homebirth and the continued lack of equity for women choosing homebirth.

We need this to be BIG. When I met with the federal department of Health they commented on the huge number of submissions (900 of which over half came from homebirth consumers). Sadly I said if you outlaw homebirth I will lead 9000 angry women and babies to Canberra!

Now 9000 may be a tall order but we need thousands.

For all the women and midwives that have contacted and said this issue matters please put it in your diary.

There is lots to organise and we look forward to many providing ideas and support.

The states close to Canberra will be called on to provide as many as possible to attend.

It would be great to have at least a few from every state and territory.

Please forward this meeting far and wide.

Details will soon be on the HBA website.

<www.homebirthaustralia.org/>

For any other info please email justine.caines@bigpond.com

In solidarity

Justine

Justine Caines
Secretary
Homebirth Australia Inc

Come on families of Australia.... lets have an incredible day our, be passionate and soak in the power and awe of the incredible birthing women who will be there with us... let's get on a plan for one day, bring your children and shout loud... no-one should be forced to birth in hospital... there will be dire consequences...

VIC
NSW & ACT
QLD
SA, NT, TAS & WA

[BellyBelly]

Should homebirths be banned?

AdelaideNow... Uninsured midwives face home birth ban

75% say no... let's make it more!!!

[LimeSlice]

I'll be there with Charlotte.

[Muffy]

I'm going to see what i can do!!! I definantly want to be there!

[Dansta]

i want to be there! looks like i'll be talking DH into a diving holiday!

[Tanya]

I am hoping I can make it I know so many ppl who are going, I would feel left out if I didn't at least give it a LOT of thought!

[onthefly]

So, there is only a rally in Canberra, right?
Maybe I'll just march around my loungeroom - it's a bit far for us to come. Hope it goes well though

[Antheia]

I'll be there with the kiddies. We'll be driving down.

[Arcadia]

I'm going with DH and DD. Most likely flying...

[Julie Doula]

I will be there. I would be there to support women's choice if they invented ways to curtail women's rights to elective c/s, I will be there to support women's rights to choose homebirth. Regardless of any person's view of homebirth, which is largely informed by personal experience (I had three, they were great - all in other countries, so i know what it is like in a country where homebirth is funded and supported) - this is about choice. You can't arbitrarily remove a choice like that.

Kelly, what is the link of the facebook group? Ta.

No one is saying that homebirth is risk free. Hardly. Homebirth is as safe as birth gets. An 80% c/s rate, as in other countries where there is total obstetric dominance, is hardly risk free either. However, obstetric birth is not unfunded, unresourced, unsupported, and under threat of being driven underground. Giving medicare numbers and indemnity insurance to all midwives except for independent midwives who provide homebirth services is a backward step for Australia and a blow to all Australian birthers interested in having vaginal births, be it in hospitals, birth centres or at home.

In the short time I've been a doula, I have been present at 17 homebirths here in Victoria.
7 of those were first time mothers. Of these, 6 had their babies safely at home, with minimal or no tearing, and excellent apgars for the baby. One transferred to hospital, had epidural & synto and eventually a ventouse vaginal birth, baby born in excellent condition.
Of these 17, 9 of the babies were over 9 pounds, and one was 11 pounds.
Of these 17, 3 transferred to hospital during labour. Of these 3, one had an epidural, and pushed the baby out herself. Another had an epidural and a vaginal birth with the help of forceps. The other had an epidural, synto and a vaginal birth with the help of ventouse. All the babies were in good condition.
Of these 17, three were women having their first VBAC following a primary caesarean.
So this has been my experience so far.
Homebirths in Victorai has a 12% transfer rate and a 4% c/s rate. Research shows that the rate of infant deaths at homebirths is on par with deaths occuring in hospitals to low-risk women.
Regardless of people's views of whether or not homebirth is less/more safe, I can't accept that marginalising homebirth and driving it underground, and criminalising our homebirth midwives who are some of the most skilled careproviders we have, is in the best interests of birthing Australia.

It is worth fighting for.

[The[cookie]Doctor]

memememe hopefully.

[HellRazeD]

Kelly I had written a lovely long letter to Mr Rudd about this (Yes, Straight to the top!), and I have just some on my computer to find it gone. ****! Crap. Now I have to write another one. Vista is to unstable! I got a bluescreen error and it did that?!?? Never mind. Would you mind if I posted the FULL thing here when I manage to find it?


Regards, Serene

[BellyBelly]

Of course you can!! I have a Mac

Everyone else, make sure you post in our state by state threads, then we can all fly over together

[Smoke Jaguar]

Still planning my flights to see if I can co-ordinate with others who are going. I think I'll be organising my own flight now and organising a hotel room later to see if anyone wants in for that part.

[Kitt3n]

we will be there! DH, DD1, DD2 and myself!!

ok - is anyone else planning on staying the night?

[amysarah]

I will be there!! I will be driving over for the day by myself but hoping to meet up with my gorgeous BB girls while I'm there!!