should just wait around for next legislative season to do attempt to put a bill through ourselves. Do you know how difficult that is? We have this awesome opportunity to get the Governor to realize he needs to remove the collaborative agreement portion of the CPM regulations, without the mess of legislation, a full dose of lobbying, gaining MORE supporters that others are tearing away piece by piece… And some want us to wait? We don’t have time. Birth is progressively becoming more and more dangerous in Delaware, but that’s okay. We’ll just wait, right?
The midwife “crisis” is a frustrating situation to watch unfold from the “inside.” What’s even more frustrating is the people we need to reach who make or break the rules are on the “outside.” Let’s be honest: State Reps, Legislators, the Governor, all these folks we need to get on our side won’t know about our side until we tell them. They hear from doctors who vastly oppose home births for numerous reasons (none of which based in scientific evidence…) and lobbyists who have money to sway them one way or another, such as the recent convergence of ACOG lobbyists on California’s doorsteps. How often do they hear from the other side? How often have you stepped up and sent an e-mail, tweet, call, fax, printed something off or even stopped someone in their tracks to get a few words in with them? I can speak for our family when I say we don’t have the money to pay for a lobbyist, lawyers or a host of other folks to help us with this battle. And that is very obviously true for most, if not all, families in our state and around the country. So, we need to be creative and use our resources wisely. As a community, we need to step up and get our people to understand that the whole country is watching us right now! And national campaigns backing us up. We will do what it takes! The bottom line for Delaware is that we look like crap when it comes to birthing outcomes for both mom and baby. States are looking at Delaware as the BAD example of what could happen. Don’t end up like Delaware, they say. And NOW, Delaware legislators have introduced a bill to heighten fines and discipline of midwives who practice without a license to that of those who practice medicine without a license. Midwifery is NOT medicine. Felons. They want our midwives to become FELONS with higher fines and assuredly imprisonment when caught. In the meantime, they can’t even become licensed. Anyone else see the problem with this logic? Let’s get one thing straight… If you license a profession, surely you should have repercussions for those practicing that profession without a license. But felony? For midwifery? When they can’t obtain licensure to begin with because of strict regulations that make it impossible? It doesn’t make sense. As for the licensure debate as a whole, because this comes up a lot in the birth world: Do I believe the midwifery practice should be licensed by each state? I’m not sure. I think, just as choosing your own provider is your own autonomous choice, licensure should be the choice of the citizens of each state. Here in Delaware, we have some very strict, and erroneous, regulations in place for professions. For example, you need a license to work as a hairdresser, daycare worker, taxidermist, massage therapist, the list goes on really. Why then would it be feasible to think that the state would “allow” CPMs to practice without a license? CPMs aren’t cutting hair, they’re catching babies, or at least helping families catch their own new babies. They’re checking heartbeats, guiding a woman through her pregnancy and childbirth, ensuring breastfeeding is off to a great start, keeping an eye out for rare complications and making necessary referrals. Yes, I think we need licensure in Delaware for now. Legislators and medical staff do not trust midwifery care. We need to change that. We won’t change that by biting our thumbs at them and perpetuating the idea of “underground” midwives. Our CPMs won’t even do that now. Their lives are on the line. Hell, they might even be FELONS if this new bill passes and they begin practicing again. We.Have.No.Options besides go to the hospital to birth, which is riskier (scientifically proven) due to the idea of actively managed labors and the incessant need for cesarean deliveries and inductions in Delaware, fully converting to the Amish or Mennonite religions or birthing at home with just ourselves or our immediate family and/or friends. Certainly not with a Certified Professional Midwife. We have this amazing opportunity to turn this birth crisis around and come out ahead. Our legislators could help make birth safer in not just Delaware, but across the country merely by helping Delaware women gain back their rights to invite midwives into their homes. Call your legislators! Let’s flood their offices with midwifery supporters. Who did you call? What was their response? Did they know about this before you called?
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10/11/2013 08:16:17 pm
Make a better friend of every man with whom you come in contact
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AuthorWelcome to Momma Trauma's Blog! Thoughts, empowering posts and stories straight from Momma Trauma herself, Birth Trauma families & birth professionals. Archives
July 2015
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