The thing is, this isn't about shoddy practitioners or regulations, this is about one group of professionals trying to put another group out of business, leaving women with fewer choices in the end. This all seems to be based, not on bad practices, but the perception that trained obstetricians know better than mothers what is good for them and their babies.

If everyone would just get on with teh job at hand - actually trying to help mothers birth - then we could concentrate on making sure that all mothers would be cared for in safety and with respect.

If we press ahead with rules that don't work - IMs can't get insurance, very few OBs will form collaborative agreements - then women wanting to home birth (some of whom feel far too unsafe in hospital because of prior experience) will do so in potentially unsafe conditions. What's more, we will have taken a step backwards in regards to the care offered to mothers. As women, as mothers, we are capable of making decisions for ourselves and our babies. That fundamental right should always be respected. Very often, it isn't at the moment.