The message below was sent yesterday from Lisa Metcalfe, President of Maternity Coalition.
Dear supporters of choice in birth,
Good news
Yesterday was a historic day for Australian women and their families. See below for Nicola Roxon?s release about legislation presented to Parliament, in line with promised Government reforms for midwives - Medicare, access to Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and indemnity for midwives.
It?s a fantastic achievement to have Medicare, PBS access and indemnity for midwives to provide continuity of carer to women across the country - but it needs to include homebirth and birth on country in addition to hospital births. Below is theAustralian College of Midwives press release that details the benefits for many women and families across the country from yesterday?s legislation.
Sad news
At the same time, yesterday was a bittersweet day. Feelings are running high across the country. On-line forums, email lists, and Facebook are almost in meltdown because of the traffic generated yesterday. Attached is Homebirth Australia?s media release that details the outcomes of the negative side to yesterday?s news.
Women and midwives are scared, frustrated and angry. Some mothers are trying to make decisions about when/whether to conceive any more children. Some midwives are fearing they will be unable to continue their current life?s calling to care for women birthing at home. Prospective/current midwifery students who were planning on attending homebirths are questioning whether they should start/continue studying.
The heart of the problem
Roxon is engineering the biggest changes we?ve seen in maternity care in Australia?s history. We need to remember this fact as we work out strategies to see ALL Australian women have access to ALL evidence-based birth care choices, including birth at home with a qualified midwife.
But we have the very significant problem, which is still not resolved, around qualified midwives attending homebirths. On one hand we have Medicare, PBS and indemnity for midwives but it?s not covering birth at home, reiterated in Roxon?s media release yesterday. On the other hand, we have the national registration of all health professionals coming in from 1 July 2010 which requires each health professional to secure indemnity before they can register.
As we know, privately practicing midwives have been unable to secure indemnity since 2002 because insurers think it is not financially viable for them. So as it stands, if neither area is changed to ensure midwives can attend homebirths, it will effectively make homebirth with a midwife illegal come 1 July 2010.
Maternity Coalition?s vision is for all Australian women to choose who, where and how they birth. We are about increasing women?s choices so they can make informed decisions about the type of care that is right for them and their family. We are facing the prospect of having an evidence-based model of care being removed ? and why? It would be an understatement to say we are concerned about this. We are VERY concerned about this.
The solution
Many of our key members are working frantically behind the scenes to discover the why, who and how. Today I was in Canberra meeting Roxon?s adviser and other key figures in Canberra.
The three Bills from yesterday enable the government to provide Medicare and insurance to midwives, and we understand that regulations yet to be released will determine which midwives are eligible, and set the parameters for their care. Roxon?s media release states that homebirth will be excluded from Medicare and insurance, which we presume will be determined in these regulations.
At this stage, there are two solutions to the conundrum.
1) Make changes to the draft legislation on the national registration of health professionals which allow midwives to provide care at home without insurance, until insurance can be secured.
2) Ensure that birth at home is included in the Government?s plans to provide midwives with Medicare, indemnity and access to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. This would require some source of insurance covering homebirth to be found.
If we fix up one, it doesn?t matter which one, it would allow midwives who attend births at home to register and practice. If neither are fixed by the end of June 2010, then homebirth is effectively banned in Australia ? not a prospect that any of us who believe in a woman?s right to make an informed choice would want. We only have 12 months to make this happen.
You are an important part of the solution.
The time for action is NOW. It is up to every single one of us to make a difference. Here is what YOU can do:
****The most important thing is to PLEASE email/phone your State AND Federal MPs (the national registration of health professionals is about all State and Federal Governments working together so you need to speak to both). Tell them how you feel about your birthing choices being taken away from you. Ask for an appointment (an MC member can come with you if you wish). To find out which State and Federal electorate you live in go to:
https://oevf.aec.gov.au/ We need to talk to our MPs quickly if we hope to change the legislation before it is voted in by Parliament.
****Come to one of MC?s National Day of Action events on Saturday 4 July ? this year is the first of annual days of actions focused on birth reform. It will be a celebration of the gains we?ve won but also a chance to send a loud message about how much we want Every Woman to have Every Choice.
There are events planned in Brisbane, Wagga Wagga, Byron Bay, Ipswich, Toowoomba and Stanthorpe so far with possibly more to come. For details on each event go our website
www.maternitycoalition.org.au or the Facebook page:
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****Organise a National Day of Action event in your town. We need events in every state to show this matters to women across the country ? from Broome to Hobart, from Torres Strait to Adelaide. The more events we have the more impressive it is for media and political impact. Please seriously consider holding an event with local women in your community. Here are some ideas to get you going:
o A peaceful walk down your main street. (Be aware you may have to get your council?s approval for this)
o A morning tea in the local park.
o Organise a cake for your local midwives and celebrate with them.
o Hire a community hall/church for your event.
Events can show support for reforms so far...
Recognition of private practice midwives across the country.
Funding for continuity of care from a known midwife,
Assistance for midwives to access Indemnity Insurance
...and demonstrate:
Women should have the right to choice: ?Every woman, every choice?. Choice over the full spectrum, including homebirth
Continued support for further reform in maternity services in Australia, including supporting a woman?s right to choose her place of birth, at home and for indigenous women on country.
The needs of women and communities must come before administrative convenience of a National Registration Scheme.
Women and babies will be put at risk because it will be illegal for midwives to practise homebirth.
Making homebirth illegal will increase birth without professional maternity care and drive homebirth underground.
Acknowledge many birth support groups and individuals have contributed in working towards this goal.
Planning for the day:
o Plan to hold your event in the morning as you are more likely to attract media at this time of day.
o Choose a venue ? child-friendly and maybe rain/weather-proof if possible.
o Contact local media to let them know of the event and send them our press release. (NOTE: We will send you a template of a press release which you can localise.)
o Fill in an event plan no later than Tuesday 30th June and email it back to
campaign@maternitycoalition.org.au <x-msg://44/campaign@maternitycoalition.org.au> This needs to be done for insurance purposes and also so we can get your local event onto our website and the national media release.
o Send out invitations to your networks, the local hospital, local consumer groups such as playgroups, homebirth groups, indigenous groups, ABA and Childbirth Educators. Also child health clinics, midwives in private practice and other health practitioners.
o Invite people who may no longer be active in the campaign but have contributed to its success over the last decade.
o Invite both State and Federal MPs and Senators in your area:
https://oevf.aec.gov.au/
o Everyone wearing the same coloured shirts with slogans printed on the front
o Purple and green helium balloons.
o Banners and signs ? a white background looks best.
o A big celebratory cake to share
o Lots of family (Mums, Dads, Grandparents, children) ? several generations always looks good!
o Take your MC banner, our leaflets and copies of Birth Matters.
o Have some women invite their midwife and have them prepared to share their birth stories focussing on what their midwife meant to them.
o Have women prepared to talk who can?t invite their midwife because they don?t know who they are, but still feel that their midwife?s work was paramount to their overall birth.
o Try to put together some history of the work that has been done in your area. Include old newspaper clippings and photographs. This could be done through the use of posters or a slideshow.
o Re-create events that had a big impact in your area i.e. rallies from yesteryear ? maybe the use of a birth pool to create media attention.
o Recognise those who have given a long term contribution to the campaign.
Possible slogans for your signs:
o Midwives for Me
o How about Homebirth?
o Every woman, Every Choice
o We?ve only just begun there?s more reform to come.
o My birth, my body, my choice.
o Homebirth?s a choice not a crime.
****Attend the Rally for Homebirth at Parliament House in Canberra 11:30am - 2:30pm on 7 September being organised by our sister organisation, Homebirth Australia. This needs to be the ?mother of all rallies? if you excuse the pun.
It?s a big ask, but we need as many people (mums, dads, grandparents, sisters, babies) as possible to travel to Canberra to show the people power. You don?t need to have had a homebirth or planning a homebirth to attend ? you simply need to support the principle that women can make informed choices about the type of evidence-based birth care they want.
For more information go to Homebirth Australia's website:
Home Birth Australia | or see the Facebook event page:
Login | Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=114465002243&comments#/event.php?eid=89004797283&ref=nf>
****If you can?t come to Canberra:
- Consider funding someone else?s travel costs. Imagine how wonderful it would be if we could fund women from NT, WA or SA to attend the rally! These would be great media stories too. Contact
campaign@maternitycoalition.org.au <x-msg://44/campaign@maternitycoalition.org.au> to find out how to donate money to help Australians from all our coasts (and islands) to attend.
- Check out Homebirth Australia's website (as above) for details of a virtual rally. These numbers count just as much and offer those who can?t make it a chance to be counted on September 7.
****Talk to everyone you know about this issue ? amongst your friends, on Facebook, with your other care providers.
****Write letters to the Editor. Email television programssuch as 9am, Sunrise, 7.30 Report.
The sad irony is that most of the women who will benefit from yesterday?s announcements don?t realize what a special day it was for them and their families. And those of us who do intimately and personally understand the beauty and benefits of one to one midwifery care, and the beauty of an undisturbed, gentle birth at home for our precious babies, are feeling sad and let down.
But we must work together and maintain hope as the clock is counting down to June 30, 2010. We must (and we will!)convince our governments to maintain (and increase) our birth choices and our daughters? birth choices.
Yours in solidarity,
Lisa Metcalfe
National President
Ph: 02 4268 1675
Email:
l.metcalfe@tpg.com.au <x-msg://44/l.metcalfe@tpg.com.au>
