Rally outside Rudd's office, Monday 9 November

[Julie Doula]

This one's especially for the Brisbane-ites! The next thing we can do to let the government know we don't want a total obstetric monopoly.

Even if you aren't into homebirth, I encourage you to go and make a stand. Homebirth is only one of several options that should be equitably available to a birthing population. To me the most important point is that women should have a CHOICE between the midwifery model and the obstetric model. The midwifery model can be delivered to women through independent birth centres, and case-load care as well as homebirth. This is available in all developed countries except USA - where the obstetric control of maternity services is a billion-dollar industry for surgeons, lawyers and insurance companies.High rates of primip cesareans and a very low rate of VBACs, which increasingly are not supported, means that women become fodder for a massive cesarean industry. High rates of induction and primip c/s means guaranteed repeat customers.

Thank God for modern obstetrics and I am glad it's available expecially for women with high risk conditions and when complications occur. The point is, a total obstetric monopoly and institutionalised birth is not healthy or optimal, it only serves the purposes of greed, power and profit. Corporate culture.

So even if you are bound and determined to choose elective cesarean for yourself and believe any woman who gives birth without an epidural is a crazed loony fanatic, PLEASE go along to this and make the case that women deserve a

CHOICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear All

As a result of the mess that maternity reform has become and the unclear but
seemingly very poor options for homebirthing women, Homebirth Australia and
Home Midwifery Association are hosting a rally outside Kevin Rudd's
electorate office in BRISBANE. We need this to be as big as possible.

We invite other groups to join the rally to make this the beginning of a
very clear election campaign.

Homebirth: Our bodies Our babies Our Choice

Kevin Rudd is no friend of homebirth, not even midwifery it seems.

Kevin Rudd's electoral office
630 Wynumm Road
Morningside

Monday 9th November 2009 10:30am (REMEMER IT WILL BE AN HOUR LATER IN NSW)

Women, children, men, families, friends who support choice in birth,
including homebirth with a private midwife.

Bring a 'calling card' to drop off, letting our Prime Minister know that
women want choice in childbirth and this includes the choice to hire a
private midwife to birth at home - insured and funded. The calling card
should be an A4 piece of paper (can be larger or smaller) with your name and
address, concerns, experience, suggestions and a request for a response from
Kevin Rudd about this important issue.

The rally was suggested by Homebirth Australia and is supported by the Home
Midwifery Association and Maternity Coalition.

More info

HBA: Justine Caines justine.caines@gmail.com 0408210273

HMA: Kirsten Adams adamskirsten@hotmail.com

[Julie Doula]

The Maternity Services Reform process that promised so much to so many, is now at risk from the medical lobby, who would strip many women of birth choices and options that are currently open to them.

Nicola Roxon yesterday announced amendments to the midwifery legislation that is currently before Parliament which will fundamentally redefine the nature of midwifery in Australia particularly homebirth midwifery. The new clause requires midwives to enter into “collaborative arrangements with medical practitioners" in order to access the new arrangements. It effectively appoints private obstetricians and GP obstetricians as the gatekeepers for access to private midwifery care in Australia. This amendment requires midwives to have a “collaborative arrangement” in place at all times. If a midwife is unable to comply she will face loss of registration, insurance and Medicare.

How will it be possible for independent private practice midwives to support women to birth at home or in hospital? How will it be possible to expand options of midwifery care such as birth centres? How can home birth midwives "collaborate" with practitioners who do not believe that home birth should be available as a model of care for women?

Medical practitioners have powerful cultural and financial incentives to disable private midwifery and de-rail other models of midwifery care. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) have widely and publicly condemned homebirth and vilified privately practicing midwives. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RANZCOG) expressly state that they do not support homebirth or freestanding birth centres.

RANZCOG position statement on home birth reads –
“The College does not support Home Birth or ‘Free-standing’ Birth Centres (without adjacent obstetric and neonatal facilities) as appropriate Health Care Settings."
"Home birth should not be offered as a Model of Care".

Come, rally with us! Raise your voice to tell the leaders of this government that women must retain the right to choose, where, how and with whom they give birth.

Politicians need to understand that we will not take the erosion of women’s basic rights lying down, and we are not going to go away. We have written thousands of submissions. We have petitioned Health Minister Nicola Roxon directly through thousands of emails and phone calls. We have protested in record numbers outside Parliament House in Canberra. Roxon is not listening and she is failing Australian women and their families.

We are asking Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Tanya Plibersek to guarantee that Australian women’s birthing rights are protected.

The RANZCOG statement last year said
* homebirths should all be supervised by obstetricians (even though no obstetrician will support homebirths, because any who do are drummed out of town and risk their insurance)
* careproviders for homebirths should have indemnity insurance (even though they know full well midwives can't get insurance since 2004)
* the premiums for homebirth providers should be higher because of the risks involved (so that insurance is even more impossible; even though the research shows homebirth is safer than hospital birth - no pitocin or CEFM or Class A drugs or epidurals at homebirths)

Then this year they have got in Roxon's ear and made sure that it's been passed into law that:

* midwives must have insurance or they'll be illegal - all the while knowing they can't get it
* midwives must 'collaborate' with obstetricians - all the while knowing no obstetrician is willing to, and those who are willing will be too scared to.

THIS IS AN APPALLING STITCH-UP JOB THAT STRIPS WOMEN OF RIGHTS AND SELF-DETERMINATION AND ENDS THE POSSIBILITY OF AUSTRALIAN WOMEN BEING ABLE TO ACCESS THE MIDWIFERY MODEL OF CARE.

IT IS ENABLING AN OBSTETRIC MONOPOLY.

THEY HAVE ENSURED THAT ALL MIDWIVES MUST BE SUBORDINATE TO OBSTETRIC CONTROL.

THE ONLY WAY YOU WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE A NATURAL, UNHINDERED, MIDIWIFERY MODEL BIRTH IS TO GO UNDERGROUND, WITH MIDWIVES WHO ARE RENDERED CRIMINALS!

THIS IS SO WRONG, SO MISOGYNIST.

ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE THIS LYING BACK IN STIRRUPS? DO WE WANT AUSTRALIA TO BECOME LIKE THE USA?

You only need to read the Unnecesarean site to see how high the level of distress in USA is getting as a result of a medical monopoly with no checks and balances that is accountable to no one because they have eliminated all opposition, all competition and all alternatives.

So medicalised birth becomes the only reality people know.

Will Australia let natural birth and midwifery model go down the toilet in the same way?

Or can we have what women in New Zealand and western Europe have?

Are we willing to fight the patriarchy and misogny of the government and the AMA to get it?