PushNews from The Big Push for Midwives Campaign
CONTACT: Steff Hedenkamp, (816) 506-4630,
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, June 16, 2008
Father Knows Best Meets Big Brother Is Watching Physician Group Seeks
to Outlaw Home Birth-Is Jail for Moms Next?
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 16, 2008)-Just in time for Father’s Day, at its
annual meeting last weekend, the American Medical Association (AMA)
adopted a resolution to introduce legislation outlawing home birth,
and potentially making criminals of
the mothers who choose home birth with the help of Certified
Professional Midwives (CPMs) for their families.
“It’s unclear what penalties the AMA will seek to impose on women who
choose to give birth at home, either for religious, cultural or
financial reasons-or just because they didn’t make it to the hospital
in time,” said Susan Jenkins, Legal Counsel for The Big Push for
Midwives 2008 campaign. “What we do know, however, is that any state
that enacts such a law will immediately find itself in court, since a
law dictating where a woman must give birth would be a clear violation
of fundamental rights to privacy and other freedoms currently
protected by the U.S. Constitution. ” Until the AMA proposed
‘Resolution 205 on Home Deliveries,’ no state had considered
legislation forcing women to deliver their babies in the hospital or
limiting the choice of birth setting. Instead, states have regulated
the types of midwives that may legally provide care.
Currently, 22 states already license and regulate CPMs, who specialize
in out-of-hospital maternity care and have received extensive training
to qualify as experts in the types of risk assessment and preventive
care necessary for safe and high-quality care for women who choose
give birth at home. Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs), who are trained
primarily as hospital-based providers, are licensed in all 50 states
and the District of Columbia.
The resolution did not offer any science-based information for the
AMA’s anti-midwife or anti-home birth position. “Maternity care is a
multi-billion dollar industry in the United States,” said Steff
Hedenkamp, Communications Coordinator for The Big Push for Midwives.
“So it’s no surprise to see the AMA join the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists in its ongoing fight to corner the
market and ensure that the only midwives able to practice legally are
hospital-based midwives forced to practice under physician control. I
will say, though, that I’m shocked to learn that the AMA is taking
this turf battle to the next level by setting the stage for
outlawing home birth itself-a direct attack on those families who
choose home birth, who could be subject to criminal prosecution if the
AMA has its way.”
The Big Push for Midwives
(http://www.thebigpu shformidwives. org) is a nationally coordinated
campaign organized to advocate for regulation and licensure of
Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) in all 50 states, the District
of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and to push back against the attempts of
the American Medical Association to deny American families access to
safe and legal midwifery care.
Media inquiries should be directed to Steff Hedenkamp (816) 506-4630
C 2008 The Big Push for Midwives Campaign. All rights reserved.
More resources on this subject:
http://www.sunjournal.com/story/271886-3/LewistonAuburn/Debate_swirls_on_birth_safety/
http://ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2008/06/amas_resolution_on_home_birth.php
