This is a witch hunt. And mothers have been similarly attacked. Disgusting.

There was a great article in Birthing Matters recently on what we need to do to make mothers safe - wherever they birth - and not only in a strictly defined, medical sense. We need to feel safe emotionally and physically - to know that we are being cared for with respect and dignity, not simply alive at the end of it.

Some mothers & babies might well be better off with the backup of hospital expertise. We need to make them safe there - it's not enough to criticise women for making "stupid" decisions, we must ask WHY and then HOW can we help them get there. And if they don't want to.... we must respect that. And the flip side is that many births would be safer at home. Lets work to make all mothers and babies as safe as can be, wherever they may be.

Some doctors (and others!) feel they have the obligation to speak for the baby, as though mothers are unable to do that. And in the process ride roughshod over a woman's right to autonomy over her own body, all in the name of the baby's rights. But it is absolutely ludicrous to claim to work in the interests of the baby if you are not also protecting the interests of the mother. They come as a package.

I'm really wary of the move to limit the scope of independent midwifery & home births - limiting options to those only considered lower risk.
There's a real risk that the mode of care itself will be totally undermined in this attempt to protect it from this pressure. And, prehaps more importantly, it still overlooks the person at the centre of the birthing process - the mother. Again, it should be about working with and for the mother to help her achieve the best birth for her baby.