AMA trying to make homebirth illegal?

[Twinklefeet]

Hey all- just a little curious if anyone else has heard about this???

My mom did doula training in Philly this past weekend and heard that the AMA has made its mission for 2009 to get home birth made illegal, and anyone attending a home birth made a criminal. Is this accurate? Has anyone else heard this? And if it's true, what can we do to stop them?
If anyone has any articles or websites with info about this, please post a link, I'd like to read more about this. Any other thoughts would be most welcome, too. Also, I hope this is posted in the right place... wasn't sure if I should put it in the homebirth forum instead of/in addition to this one?

[studentmama]

They(AMA) are feeling really challeneged by Ricki Lake's documentary on birth. They did pass a resolution, let me see if I can find it.

Here is ACNM response to the AMA
http://www.midwife.org/ACNM_Response_to_AMA.cfm

[studentmama]

here ya go
http://multimedia.nydailynews.com/pd...ricki_lake.pdf

riki lake's response
http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.co...or-our-rights/

[1littlebit]

lets ask the ACOG for their opinion b/c obviously they are unbiased and have nothing to gain from outlawying homebirth. : this scares the crap out of me

[loveyourohana]

I have a sneaky suspicion that even if they fail making homebirth illegal, we will be fighting this fight for a very very very long time. They will try again... and somehow we need to start educating in a faster better way! Lets bring the majority of homebirths back to a higher number than that of in hospital.

I suppose teaching our children that having a baby at home is safer, and better, and teaching them that even if its agains the law, its still better.

I suppose I stand the chance of being arrested and charged if they make having a baby illegal.

Where has America gone? Freedom should stand for something, and women losing their rights to have a baby, well that is just wrong!

[JamieCatheryn]

It will never work, especially on the federal level. "Medical" stuff is left up to state gov't. If they want to go state by state and try to reverse certification for homebirth midwives in the states that allow it, well good luck, in those places the fight's already been won for homebirth.

[Twinklefeet]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm glad to hear that other people have heard this, and that there seems to be some stuff going on to counter the AMA's pressure to make HB illegal. I hope to hear more discussion on how to be pro-active in the near future... I'll be cruising those links today as I get time, thanks to all who posted them!

[1littlebit]

now that I'm thinking about it and read the pp.. the AMA cant really make it illegal.. they can strongly reccomend against it and call everyone who does it irresponsible baby hating nut cases and make it darn hard if you have to transfer for some reason but i dont think they can actually stop people from doing it.. although i dont doubt they would try. I wish there was something big we could do to help educate as many people as possible and quickly.. so that women realize they have safe alternatives to hospitals.. and that hospitals are not always the safest option.

[BaBaBa]

OB's hate home birth because they get paid the same whether it's a difficult birth or an easy one. They resent the midwives taking the low risk pregnancies and making them do the high risk stuff. Isn't that what they're trained for?!?!

[EMS]

I attended the same doula training in Philly last weekend! The teacher did mention that, and it had me pretty worried and upset. Not sure what one can do, aside from letter writing...

[1littlebit]

i dont even know why it would be an option. all the research says homebirth is a perfectly safe alternative. Seems silly to out right lie .. but then people will do a lot for money. i do wish we could do something though. problem is that many people dont know enough about homebirth and wouldnt think to ahave a problem with it being prohibited or 'strongly discouraged' kwim?

[amandaleigh37]

check out this website

http://www.thebigpushformidwives.org/

[VT mountaingirl]

I was also outraged when I read about this in Mothering. I can not imagine being forced to have a hospital birth. I would be willing to do whatever it takes to keep homebirth legal. I am just completely mind blown that this is even an issue. The AMA has no idea how much of a fight they will have on their hands from all of us homebirthing mothers!!! :

[transformed]

I fail to see how this would even be possible. So if you accidently gave birth at home, you could be prosecuted? :

[stik]

However the AMA may feel about homebirth, they have to admit that it's a safer option for many women than receiving NO care at all, and having no attendants present (and I know some people choose UC, and it's right for them, but the global studies show that having an experienced attendant at birth significantly reduces maternal and fetal mortality).

For some populations of women, the choices surrounding birth are not "doctor in the hospital or midwife at home," but "midwife at home or no one at all." For cultural and economic reasons, midwifery care in the home is the best way to provide care to substantial populations of moms. There are a ton of reasons why home birth should remain legal, and this one, to me, is the most important.

[1littlebit]

Originally Posted by transformed

I fail to see how this would even be possible. So if you accidently gave birth at home, you could be prosecuted? :

they can give you a heck of a hard time. i have talked to some women here who have gone through He!! after having a hb. its sick. i would go to great lengths to protect hb

[Jaysfamily]

I wish they could see how ineffective this is. Outlawing midwives doesn't work. Direct entry midwives are illegal in Alabama, but that hasn't stopped attended homebirths. It's really sad that women have to lie about their births and to participate in an "illegal" activity just to avoid being unnecessarily strapped down, drugged, and cut.

I really appreciate Ricky Lake for what she has done for homebirth. It gives me hope that my state may one day allow me to do what is safest for myself and my baby without fear of prosecution. It's really sad that the AMA and ACOG are basically doing this over money. Using the government to outlaw your competition goes against the very principles this country was founded on.

[harrietsmama]

There are a lot of state based groups working on this too, to fight it I mean. I belong to Friends of Michigan Midwives - we don't have our website up yet, but we do have a yahoo group, Missouri has one too

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group...guid=227002361

[applejuice]

There were plenty of posts and threads about this months ago here on mdc.

But, really, now, tell me you are not surprised.

[mommato5]

I don't think the AMA should outlaw it. However, alot of things need revamped.

Midwives need more training than what they currently get. They need to also be regulated. If something happens, they should have to stop practicing until the proper authorities can investigate thouroughly and it should remain on record for all potential clients to see. They need not only training on pregnancy/labor/childbirth but also on the newborn and what signs to watch out on. They should have to spend a certain amount of time with a newborn and mom to make sure all is ok. They should have to carry insurance instead of thinking they are above the law and can do whatever they want. Personally, after all I have been through, I think there should only be CNM's, but, I know it's just not going to happen. I just want to see midwives with more and better training. If a midwife is going through something and cannot think clearly, she should NOT be practicing.

I understand the thinking behind the AMA. They see what happens in a homebirth gone wrong. I've, sadly, seen a dr walk away crying after trying desperately to save a baby who, had the baby been transfered at the first warning sign, would of been alive. I've seen the room full of personnel crying over this baby who didn't have to die. Until you've lived it, you'll just see the AMA as horrible people trying to take away your rights. I'm not saying that in a mean way, so please don't take it that way. I have lived this.