Two weeks until the Canberra Rally - action to take in the meantime

Hi all,

These email have just come from Homebirth Australia. The first is a report of how the meeting with Nicola Roxon went:

:

Dear All

Many will know that Homebirth Australia, Australian Private Midwives
Association, Maternity Coalition and ACM met in person with Nicola Roxon in
Canberra yesterday.

The meeting was a good first step the Minister acknowledged the unlawfulness
of homebirth (don't laugh senior ALP members have been convinced in recent
times that it won't be unlawful and remember the Dept of Health's take at
the Senate Inquiry).

We discussed finding a workable solution to the indemnity problem.

Nicola mentioned some sort of state arrangement (Hospital auspiced
homebirth!) or a commonwealth funded indemnity product.

We clearly articulated that the state solution was not workable.

So far we know the following from the states:

SA have basically told supporters they will not meet with them and to take
it to Nicola.
NSW will not meet with Homebirth Australia
QLD is saying NO WAY to state based homebirth
VIC Minister said yesterday that 'Private Midwives have no place in
Victoria' and he doesn't care about ANY of the 350 odd women who gave birth
in Victoria last year. (YES REALLY).

She said that she was optimistic that a product could be found if we used a
framework like the SA Homebirth policy. Homebirth Australia clearly argued
that the SA policy is being used as an 'exclusion criteria' and while HBA
supports the SA policy in principle we need to also establish a duty of care
clause to ensure that midwives are able to care for women that want to
homebirth but fall outside of the guidelines. I specifically made mention of
VBAC here.

Nicola said there will be no Medicare funding for homebirth.

Homebirth Australia finds this totally unacceptable that funding should be
excluded from homebirth.

Nicola has spent a long time diminishing homebirth women as so small in
number, the money would not be an issue and as we all know every woman out
of hospital SAVES considerably.

Our rally platform will be that women must be empowered to make decisions
about their body and their baby, just like any other person can in
healthcare. ALL WOMEN - EQUAL RIGHTS

All women MUST have access to a registered health provider, midwife, or Dr
and in the case of homebirth obviously midwife.

With the Medicare funding arrangement we are on the cusp of funding 'private
practice' midwifery, The funding must include homebirth.

WE HAVE 2 WEEKS TO CONTINUE OUR WORK IN LOCAL ELECTORATES. SOON I will have
a letter to draft to local politicians and some early preparation for
communities with good numbers coming to the rally to get local media
engaged. Will send you all a link to the HBA site when it is up.

In solidarity

Justine
Justine Caines
Secretary Homebirth Australia Inc

In this next message, HBA explains how contacting our federal MPs is the next strategic thing we can be doing between now and 7 September:

:

Information Sheet ? Engaging with your local Federal MP - Will they support Women?s Rights?

The Problem
Currently the House of Representatives is debating the Health Legislation Amendment
(Midwives and Nurse Practitioners) Bill 2009 and two related bills to create Medicare funding, access to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Indemnity insurance support for midwives. If passed into legislation in their current they will not provide funding or indemnity for homebirth midwives. This legislation will then intersect with National Health Registration legislation (to come into force in July next year) that will require all health professionals to hold indemnity insurance. This will prevent midwives providing homebirth care from registering and thus make their homebirth practice unlawful.

The AnswerWe clearly want all health consumers to be treated equally and therefore ask that all related legislation include midwives caring for women at home. We need to ask as many MP?s as possible what their view is and if they are prepared to support women making choices in healthcare. Regardless of an individuals views on homebirth we are asking federal politicians to support the right of a woman to give birth at home with a registered midwife.

What We Want from our Local Federal MP
Our politicians are our representatives. We must ask them for what we need. We believe this to be a serious infringement of a woman?s rights with the potential to be the beginning of a serious curtailing of individual freedoms. Recently there has been a national consultation on human rights; our view is that preventing a woman from accessing a registered midwife for birth at home contravenes these rights.

The Council of Safety and Quality recently released a document of ?health rights? (attached to this email); you may like to forward these to your local member reminding them that your rights are being totally ignored.

By writing to our local Federal MP?s, we will put them on notice that this issue matters and they will be held to account for their view. We ask that you fill in the ?pro-forma? letter attached and let us know the member you have contacted and their response. As outlined in the letter if they do not respond we will take that to mean they agree that homebirth should be made unlawful.

If possible please add something personal, to the ?pro-forma? letter even if you can only manage a few lines!

WE HAVE 2 weeks until the ?Mother of all Rallies? in Canberra on September 7. The more politicians we contact the more we make this a serious ongoing political issue. Please inform us of which MP you have sent the letter to and of your reply. Notify us at campaign@homebirthaustralia.org

We will reveal those who support women?s choice in healthcare and those who don?t at the
MOTHER of all rallies, September 7 2009, Parliament House Canberra

In solidarity
Justine Caines
Secretary - Homebirth Australia Inc
August 2009

{Date}
{Your name}
{Your address}

{Your local federal Politician?s Name}
{Address}

By E-mail: {politician?s e-mail}

{Dear XX}

Re: The right of a woman to determine where and with whom her baby is born.

I write to express my concern regarding a woman?s access to private homebirth after July next year. I understand that if the Health Legislation Amendment (Midwives and Nurse Practitioners) Bill 2009 and two related Bills (Currently midway through debate in the House of Representatives) are passed without amendment they will intersect with Commonwealth law regarding the National Registration and Accreditation of Health Professionals and make private homebirth practice unlawful, once enacted after July 1 next year.

The Health Legislation Amendment (Midwives and Nurse Practitioners) Bill 2009 and two related Bills enable Medicare funding, access to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and professional indemnity premium support for midwives

Medicare funding for midwifery care is long overdue. It is not acceptable however to exclude homebirth from this funding and indemnity arrangement. By doing this Australia is totally out of step with nations such as the United Kingdom, Canada, The Netherlands and New Zealand.

These nations support the rights of women to choose homebirth and fund a registered midwife through their national health scheme. In New Zealand and the U.K women have a legislative right to choose homebirth. If Australia makes homebirth unlawful it will be on par with the U.S state of Alabama where homebirth is unlawful and capital punishment still exists.

I support a system where all consumers are treated equally, with the same access to funding and the same insurance protection. I am asking you to also support this. Can you please reply to me in writing with your clear response of YES or NO to the following?

I support women to make choices regarding their healthcare and believe homebirth should be funded under the Medicare Benefits Schedule with appropriate Commonwealth Indemnity support.
YES / NO

Your response will be recorded with all other politicians at Homebirth Australia?s national rally to be held outside Parliament House on Monday September 7. If you choose not to respond it will be recorded that you support homebirth becoming unlawful.

As my local representative I ask you to support equal rights for all birth choices.

{Please add your own comments here: ie invite them to the rally or to meet with you while you are in Canberra if you are coming to the rally}

Yours sincerely

{Your name}

Today I emailed my federal member, I didn't see this until after. But I put in a few stats and stuff. Will be interesting to see if I get a reply other than the out-of-office proforma.

Ok. Got a response.

Thought I'd post what I wrote to him.

:

I would like to encourage you to support the choice of women - not just in La Trobe - but Australia wide, in the options available for birthing their children. If we look at the stats, the current mortality rate for newborns is 0.34% for homebirths, and 0% for mothers. Given that currently trained midwives are available to assist in homebirths, women who need medical aid are transferred to hospital prior to problems - in fact, there's a 7% "elective" cesarean rate. This shows the current system is working, that trained midwives are encouraging the best care for the mother & child. By putting your support behind the bill to be debated on September 7, you are robbing women of the choice to birth safely. There is no doubt this will lead to the dangerous practice known as "freebirth" with higher mortality rates. Not only will supporting the choice of women to birth at home safely save lives, but it will also reduce some of the stress on our hospital system. For a condition - not a disease - there's a lot of beds full in hospitals such as William Angliss in Ferntree Gully which could be better used by those with medical conditions. Let's look at William Angliss - the birthing centre. Women are wanting to replicate a homebirth with the reassurance of medical aid close by - so important in our electorate so spread out across the mountains - and are booking into the birth centre as soon as they find out they are pregnant, and even then missing out. Please, listen to those who voted for you. Let their voices be heard on September 7. Thanks, Karyn.

I got a response from him a little while ago and it seemed like he was willing to support a minority choice at the time...we'll see!
I've also written to James Merlino to voice my alienation about Victoria not wanting to be part of the 'state palm-off' that some of the senators were trying to do in the hearings. He was one who put in his conscience vote against abortion...so we'll see if he 'does a Fielding' on the homebirth sicho.
I reckon I'll write to Jason again with another angle from my last letter. There's quite a few homebirthers in his electorate, so he'd better take note!
Good letter, Kaz :)

heheehe, I've replied to him asking if he'd like to meet myself and other constituents of his at Canberra on Sept 7 ...

Thanks M.