Golly, Look Who’s Against Homebirths! The AMA!
Posted on | June 19, 2008 |
So, here’s what’s going on…
A while back the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released a statement against homebirths, I wrote and comic-ed about it here: A Mile Away and here: Anti-Homebirth Press Release and Response! and here: Your choice! and here: ACOG Anti-Homebirth Statement! And then deciding that obviously that kind of idiocy would not continue to gain momentum, I stopped talking about it in the hopes that it would go away. As most idiotic things do.
Unfortunately, we live in an age of idiotic things gaining influence so here it is again, Anti-Homebirth Redux with a Twist. The American Medical Association jumps on the ACOG bandwagon and not only says “Deal Me IN!” but also “I’ll Raise you” legislation. Legislation. You heard me.
Here’s their statement from here AMA reference committee B legislation this is #205, (but heck, for fun read #204 as well!):
Whereas, Twenty-one states currently license midwives to attend home births, all using the certified professional midwife (CPM) credential (CPM or “lay†midwives), not the certified midwives (CM) credential which both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) recognize ; and
Whereas, There has been much attention in the media by celebrities having home deliveries, with recent Today Show headings such as “Ricki Lake takes on baby birthing industry: Actress and former talk show host shares her at-home delivery in new film†; and
Whereas, An apparently uncomplicated pregnancy or delivery can quickly become very complicated in the setting of maternal hemorrhage, shoulder dystocia, eclampsia or other obstetric emergencies, necessitating the need for rigorous standards, appropriate oversight of obstetric providers, and the availability of emergency care, for the health of both the mother and the baby during a delivery; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That our American Medical Association support the recent American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) statement that “the safest setting for labor, delivery, and the immediate post-partum period is in the hospital, or a birthing center within a hospital complex, that meets standards jointly outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and ACOG, or in a freestanding birthing center that meets the standards of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, The Joint Commission, or the American Association of Birth Centers†(New HOD Policy); and be it further
RESOLVED, That our AMA develop model legislation in support of the concept that the safest setting for labor, delivery, and the immediate post-partum period is in the hospital, or a birthing center within a hospital complex, that meets standards jointly outlined by the AAP and ACOG, or in a freestanding birthing center that meets the standards of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, The Joint Commission, or the American Association of Birth Centers.†(Directive to Take Action)
Fiscal Note: Implement accordingly at estimated staff cost of $1,929.
I’m sure you can imagine that Ricki Lake had a response:
Docs to Women: Pay No Attention to Ricki Lake’s Home Birth by RICKI LAKE, JENNIFER BLOCK, AND ABBY EPSTEIN
and
Here’s a press release from the group Big Push for Midwives:
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.TheBigPushforMidwives.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.© 2008 The Big Push for Midwives Campaign. All rights reserved. The Big Push for Midwives is fiscally sponsored by Sustainable Markets Foundation,
a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Our mission is to build winning, state-of-the-art
advocacy campaigns towards successful regulation and licensure of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs).
The Big Push for Midwives Campaign | www.TheBigPushforMidwives.org
80 Broad Street, Suite 1600, New York, NY 10004-2248 | 2300 M Street, N.W., Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20037-1434
I’m sure you’ll agree that this is a major issue and one that we ALL need to throw our weight behind, the idea that my daughters might be forced to go to the hospital to birth is terrifying to me. All women should have the right to stay home. I’ll leave you with a quote from Amy P. who cracked me up with “the day they pass this idea into law is the day I get intentionally pregnant so I can sue.” Amen, Amy!
Love,
Heather
ps. there are of course comics a-coming!
Comments
8 Responses to “Golly, Look Who’s Against Homebirths! The AMA!”
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June 20th, 2008 @ 5:33 am
You have to wonder what this is REALLY about… the safety of mothers and babies? Money? The rights of women to do what they want with their bodies? There’s really nothing more personal than giving birth. Any law outlawing homebirth would certainly be unconstitutional on many levels. This goes back to my theory- doctors have forgotten who works for who! What’s next- plumbers making a law that says that I can’t unclog my own toilet, I have to call them to do it? It’s certainly risky- Lord knows what could come out of there! Someone could lose an eye!
June 20th, 2008 @ 6:00 am
I don’t wonder for 1 second what its about. Its about money. The fact that Obstetrics is a medical field at all is all about MONEY.
Obstetrics was created in German hospitals about 200 years ago because doctors realized they never saw pregnant women in the hospitals.
It should also be noted that the only women birthing in hospitals then were indigent and only did so because they had no homes or access to midwives. At that time midwives and OB practiced on every other day rotation and indigent women would labor as long as possible outside the hospital on OB days waiting for the shift change. They knew seeing an OB was a death sentence.
June 20th, 2008 @ 6:11 am
I plan on passing legislation requiring all physicians to prescribe their drugs under the watch of an FDA safety oversight regulator, just in case they should forget a drug contraindication that could lead to someone’s sudden death. Let’s pass legislation also to require people who work in food service to - rather than use the toilet - have their colons removed and colostomy bags put in, with the feces being screened for contagious disease by CPS workers (that might be a better use of their time anyway) to protect our children from getting e coli on their food at fast food restaurants and when they wash their hands they have to do it on camera to make sure they scrub all the areas properly. And all vegetables must be irradiated, and when cut must be cooked to 300 degrees to kill all bacteria.
Furthermore when eating, people should make sure to be within 5 minutes of a hospital in case they choke.
You know what would be easier than worrying a mom is going to go into labor at home and not make it in time for their life saving interventions is to just go ahead and induce everyone at 39 weeks regardless of what their cervix is doing.
And to prevent women from noncompliance with these birthing regulations we can simply render them legally incompetent and admit them to psychiatric hospitals for noncompliance with prenatal care disorder (a risk factor for PPD which is going to mean that under The MOTHERS Act they can hospitalize you and then “case manage” you and your baby as soon as they’re born.)
Hey you know what’s riskier than giving birth at home???? Going to an OB when you’re low risk and getting pitocin, epidurals, episiotomies, c-sections, etc.
June 20th, 2008 @ 6:16 am
p.s. when I had my full intervention birth - guess what - I had to have TWO doses of epinephrine - one for Isaac’s fetal distress, and one for me because I COULD BARELY BREATHE. Guess what, after I had my baby NOBODY told me I had to lay down and rest or I would bleed heavily. I am pretty sure I was bleeding excessively but nobody warned me about that. Oh and guess what, the epidural and the pain medication I was taking for the episiotomy can both lead to your baby’s esophagus and windpipe not working correctly and CHOKING and potentially aspirating. Add to that the Zoloft which was deemed necessary for me after Isaac did almost choke to death and you’ve got a TYPICAL baby born in the USA - on the path to having a PSYCHO mom, drug exposure, hypoglycemia, etc. etc. etc.
I want everyone to send me pictures of you with oxygen masks and babies having to go to NICU etc. - birth complications IN THE HOSPITAL and I will put it on youtube and we can spread it around.
June 20th, 2008 @ 6:16 am
amyphilo@yahoo.com
June 20th, 2008 @ 9:38 am
Did anyone else notice that we’re only worth $1929?
June 20th, 2008 @ 1:10 pm
I wrote up my own response to the AMA’s “resolution.” http://spiritledbirth.blogspot.com/2008/06/ama-blasts-homebirth.html
You and I both have the same concerns in mind…. our daughters. My husband even said that since we’re getting to the end of our childbearing years we won’t have to worry about if homebirth is legal or not. I quickly reminded him that it is TOTALY our concern and something we need to be willing to fight for because of our daughters, future daughter’s-in-law and even our granddaughters. They must have the freedom to choose.
June 20th, 2008 @ 7:57 pm
anyone even remotely invested & involved in this matter should read “witches, midwives & nurses”. it’s a pamphlet book i’m reading right now describing the witch hunts (except the new england witch trials) that began as a way for the newly appointed professional MALE doctors to stamp out traditional FEMALE healers. it’s a blood-boiler, for sure. now, it seems, we are doomed to repeat the history we’ve failed to learn from- only they won’t burn us at the stake or lynch us; they’ll just send us to jail.