Template email requesting GetUp! involvement with homebirth legislation

Dear GetUp!

I am writing to ask for GetUp's help. The government has passed a draft legislation that will effectively make homebirth illegal in Australia by July 2010. This removes women's right to choose how and where to birth their babies and forces women into a hospital or to freebirth at home with no trained support.

We want to highlight the absolute injustice of this move, which is driven by political and economic motives and not by concern for the safety and health of women and babies. A recent Dutch study of 500,000 women showed homebirth to be as safe as hospital birth. The reason that homebirth will become illegal is that all health practitioners must have indemnity insurance to be registered and currently the insurance companies will not offer this indemnity insurance to homebirth midwives.

The campaign's message is 'Protect women's right to choices in childbirth'

The campaign could ask members to contact the health minister and their Federal MP, and to attend the Save Homebirth Rally in Canberra on September 7.

The target audience is really all women and possible parents in Australia.

We need to act on this issue urgently as the draft proposal is already in parliament.