The Future of Homebirth in Australia

This week Federal Health Minister has introduced two bills into parliament that will effectively make homebirths attended by a qualified independant midwive illegal from July 2010 onwards.

This is a highly distressing and injust development in the Maternity Services Review, and the formation of a national registration register for health care professionals.

Why injust? These legislative changes challenge a woman's right to choose what she feels is best for her baby and herself. For many women, it may mean being forced into a hospital birth when she feels that option isn't the best choice, which will have a negative impact in her ability to relax in the birth space, and be able to bring her baby into the world in a peaceful, healthy way. This is an Orwellian taking of our power from us.

Furthermore, it will put many independant midwives out of work. Independant midwives have more freedom to practice skills that are time honoured, with woman and child, and without restrictions such as time limits, policy for monitoring, induction, and 'active management' of labour and birth. These more woman centred (rather than risk-centred) skills may be lost if we have no one to practice them.

For those of you who do not feel that homebirth is the right choice, I would encourage you to still be a part of the effort to dissent the legislative changes. On a wider level, this is not just about homebirth, but about WOMEN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE WHAT IS BEST FOR HER BODY AND HER BABY, and it's about [b]HUMAN RIGHTS.

So, what can you do to help parliament see that these changes are not in the best interests of citizens, and vote against the bills?

There are lots of things:

*Get informed. Understand the issues at play. Explore what you feel about it (on this site is a great place).

*Talk about it. Ask your friends how they feel. Challenge misconceptions. Enjoy the process of debate and discussion.

*Call/arrange a meeting/write a letter or email to your federal member stating your objection to the bills.

*Send an email or letter to Nicola Roxon on Nicola.Roxon.MP@aph.gov.au

*Email political organisation GetUp! to take this on as a campaign. They have rejected requests to make maternity services an issue before, however, they have a very large member base and would be a useful campaigner on our behalf. You can find an email template to send to GetUp!
here (this is a link to facebook, for those of you who aren't on facebook, I will cut and paste the template elsewhere)

*Attend the rally that is being organised for Monday September 7th at Parliament house. You can find details here

*If you can't attend the rally, for $25 you can have a photograph of your head mounted on a cardboard cut out of a pregnant woman's body which will then be placed on the grounds of parliament house. You can pledge your $25
here

*Sign the online petition to save midwifery services here

Feel free to post your ideas here! Who has done what so far?

Am informed, have signed petition, am 'virtualling attending rally'