*****EMERGENCY ACTION ALERT******
Attention Midwife Supporters:
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) has a new Deputy Secretary! This new DHMH leader seems to think that the push to license CPMs in Maryland is nothing more than a couple midwives who are asking for legality. She has no idea that this is a grassroots movement supported by thousands of families in our state.
WE NEED TO INTRODUCE OURSELVES TO THIS NEW DEPUTY SECRETARY!
The best way to introduce ourselves is an MFSB letter writing campaign! Every man, woman and child should immediately grab a pen and paper, sit down and draft a letter to Dr. Laura Herrera. (Letter details listed below.)
Why does this need to happen so quickly? Because our delegate, Ariana Kelly, will be meeting with Dr. Herrera on Tuesday, January 22 and has requested that I attend as the MFSB representative. I do not want to walk in there looking like the Lone Ranger. I want to walk in there as the face attached to the thousands of letters that have rolled into the DHMH prior to this meeting. I want her to have a very clear understanding of who MFSB is and what we can do. I want her to understand how important this is to our community. I want her to realize the WE are a force to be reckoned with.
PLEASE sit down, write letters and mail them TODAY! We need for the majority of them to arrive by Monday for maximum impact. If half of the people who receive this email commit to ensuring that 5 letters get mailed in the next 2 days, then the new Deputy Secretary will receive 1500 letters. That should get the point across, don’t you think? On the other hand if she only receives a handful of letters, well what point will she be getting then? PLEASE make sure that what she understands that this is HUGE; that we are committed; that we will not let this be pushed under the rug anymore!
The success of this letter writing campaign will have a huge impact on what we ask for in our bill this year.
Yours in service, Jeremy Galvan, MFSB President.
LETTER DETAILS/GUIDELINES
Friendly (not angry and aggressive)
CPM licensure will improve safety for women and babies.
Licensure will improve the quality of midwives available by creating a standard all midwives must achieve and maintain.
Licensure will decrease the liability to doctors by ensuring that Midwives will be held accountable by their regulatory board in Maryland for the decisions and care they provide.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled, in December 2010, that childbirth is a fundamental human right. Women have the human right to choose how, where, and with whom they want to give birth. The Court held that governments cannot use the force of law to take away their options.
Mail letters to: Dr. Laura Herrera
Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
201 W Preston Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Please send short letters that address some form of the talking points above and share your reasons for choosing homebirth. Please include family pictures and drawing from the kids. If you feel really motivated send flowers with a note. Something cute like Midwives help people out.
TIMING IS CRITICAL. Write these letters today. Your letter can be as short as…
Thank you for considering licensure for CPMs in Maryland. I support this effort. I believe it will improve access to and quality of midwifery care in our state. Sincerely,
Please make sure they get mailed ASAP. There is no mail Monday.
I personally emailed healthmd@dhmh.state.md.us instead.
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