I just received this today:
Quote:
| Dear Birth Consumers, This letter is to notify you of a public meeting November 13, 2006 in Austin to discuss opening the rules concerning births attended by licensed midwives. http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/midwife/mw_ag18.doc It is extremely important for homebirth consumers to attend this meeting. If you are not able to attend the meeting, it is very important to communicate your opinions on the rules. Several local midwives met last week and discussed the pros and cons and those that met agreed that it would be in the best interested of the home birth community to request that the rules stay closed and kept as they are. Please ask your midwife if you have questions. Your rights as intelligent, caring mothers are at risk if the rules are opened. The doctors have made the rules process very difficult in the past. By altering the rules already in place, the doctors will be effectively taking away your more of your rights to choose the circumstances of your birth. They are already complaining and throwing threats about grandmultips (mothers that have given birth over 4 times), breech births, multiples and VBACs and want to make those births illegal for licensed midwives to attend. If you have an opinion about retaining the right to decide where and with whom you deliver your babies, then you need to attend this meeting! If the rules are opened, you will have the opportunity/responsibility to comment on them in the Texas Register. Each comment is considered by the Board before voting new rules into ‘law’. The rules are just as enforceable as the law; therefore, this is an opportunity to further regulate women’s choices through regulating their midwives. Rules only have to go through a committee unlike laws that have to go through the House, Senate and Governor. Please notify the midwifery program director of your wish to be included as a public stakeholder. CONTACT: Yvonne Feinleib, Midwifery Program Director, 512/834-4523, fax 512/834-6677, email Yvonne.feinleib@dshs.state.tx.us Freedom in birth, Stacy Lewis, CPM SAAMA Public Relations Representative |
