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living in IL, having a MW from WI

1K views 4 replies 2 participants last post by  Valerie 
#1 ·
I am no currently pg, but with the mw situation here in Il i feel like I need to be prepared ahead of time.
I live about a 1/2 hour drive (on a highway) from WI border. Since IL doesn't allow DEMs and WI does I was thinking of may be finding a DEM in WI who is close to the border. But what are the laws on that subject?
I would think that if she's licenced in Wi she cannot attend a hb in IL, is that right?
Has anybody been in a similar situation and how did you work it out?
 
#2 ·
Quote:
Originally posted by valeria_vi
I am no currently pg, but with the mw situation here in Il i feel like I need to be prepared ahead of time.
I live about a 1/2 hour drive (on a highway) from WI border. Since IL doesn't allow DEMs and WI does I was thinking of may be finding a DEM in WI who is close to the border. But what are the laws on that subject?
I would think that if she's licenced in Wi she cannot attend a hb in IL, is that right?
Has anybody been in a similar situation and how did you work it out?
Hi! I too live in IL and am/was a DEM for almost 20 years until I recently retired, in part due to my <ahem> problems with the State of Illinois.

I suppose in practice it really doesn't change your situation, but please understand that direct entry midwifery is NOT illegal in Illinois. It is not addressed by IL statute, and that is the root of our problem as midwives. We are not licensed, yet we are not specifically prohibited, thus the state (and specifically the Department of Professional Regulation) has made a crusade of hunting us down and accusing us of practicing medicine and/or nurse-midwifery without a license.

I am not sure quite where you are in IL, but rest assured that there ARE still DEMs in this state who attend homebirths.

Valerie Vickerman Runes RN CPM

...who has received two cease and desist orders from the State and is scheduled for trial in two weeks.
 
#3 ·
when i read
"I too live in IL and am/was a DEM for almost 20 years until I recently retired, in part due to my <ahem> problems with the State of Illinois."
i did not even have to read your signature - I knew who you are right away!!!

Even our names are almost the same! :cool:
And... I live in Wheeling. So that is pretty close to you - aren't you Arlington Heights?
My post did not get any answeres for a long time, so I stopped checking for replies (did not think I will get any so that explains why I did not reply to your post for so long). Imagine my surprise when I realised who replyed to my post!!!

I first read about hb on the internet when I was 18 years old. I lived in a different country at the time and there were no HBs there to my knowledge which upset me tremendously - I was just SOOOOOO fascinated by the idea and it seemed like such a natural and right thing to do. In the country where I was born there were no HBs either, but the approach was VERY laid back and non-intervention-oriented. My mom says that when she laboured with me she was left to do her own thing. A nurse would come from time to time to ask if she's ready to push and that was about it. I am not sure it still is the same way there, though.
Now I live in the US (for 2.5 years). When I just moved here I thought to myself - now I'm gonna get my HB, but as I sunk into reality here i saw that it is not as easy and as open as I thought it is. We will most likely ttc in about a year (huh, if it was for me we'd have a child already, but dh has his own arguments why we should wait and even though it is hard for me, we've made an agreement that it is a certain goal we should reach and then ttc. At least it is not being put off indefinitely! *lol*)
I have been following the issue of legislation since it will have a direct impact on my plans to HB. I understand what you have said about DEMs not being prohibited by law (I was a law student in the past, though I never graduated due to me coming to US). It was one of teh first things we have learned in the Administatie Law class: if an action is not prohibited - it means that you can do it and the burden of proof lies on the authority - it is them who need to prove that the law says an ation cannot be performed rather then the person proving that s/he was allowed to perform that action. So when I heard about all these things happening here to DEMs I just could not believe my ears!!!
But it seems like every DEM here had received a cease and desist order by Illinois dpr. Am I correct on this? So practically you guys have to practice undergound (Am I correct on this as well?) I wouldn't have a problem with that, but am not sure about my dh. I started talking to him about HB about 2.5 years ago and I think I did come through and he had agreed that barring serious complications, we will HB. But I am really not sure if he will agree to go the 'underground' route. I have to confess that I have not mentioned it to him yet, but my prediction is that he will not really like the idea too much. That's why I needed to explore all my options. Valerie, I really hope that things will change here in our state and soon, but if they do not by the time I am pg, where would I look for a DEM (you would probably need to send me a private message on that just in case).
I do not know how much media coverage your case will receive (what is the exact date the trial is scheduled?) and feel like I cannot just rely on 10pm news to know all the details. I also am not confident on how unbiased those reports might be (if any). Where/how can I follow the case? Also, I thought that it was you who created a web site about yourself and midwifery in IL (not illinois midwives on geocities - I thought it was a domain name of your own), but I do not see anything in my bookmarks. it was a long time ago that I saw that web site, am I just mistaken it was yours?
Please let me know!

Valeria
 
#5 ·
Hi Valeria!

I apologize for the delay in getting back to you and the list. My trial begins Monday morning, so I have been a bit..um..preoccupied


But to answer at least some of your questions regarding IL midwifery --

During the past four years, the IL Department of Professional Regulation has issued nine cease and desist orders to eight IL midwives (I received two -- one in 1998 and one in 1999). Of those eight midwives, only one is still practicing very quietly in downstate IL. I retired from my practice a few months ago and am now working as an ER nurse at a local hospital, at least for the next several weeks -- I expect my RN license to be revoked at that point.

My alleged "crime" is that by practicing as a DEM, I have acted "beyond the scope" of my license, despite the fact that there is no law in IL which either regulates or prohibits the practice of direct entry midwifery. There is no doubt also that I have become a thorn in the side of the State -- I continued to practice openly and rather defiantly after my cease and desist orders. Not only did I continue to advertise in the yellow pages and file birth certificates, but I also contributed my opinions to a whole variety of newspaper, TV and radio reporters. And you are correct, I did have a website (www.outlawmidwife.com) which was removed when my web space expired after a year. On the other hand, print copies of that website, the newspaper articles, etc are now part of the evidence to be used against me next week. Marsden Wagner has agreed to testify for us -- that will be a good thing, although we are resigned to a loss at this level.

And so it goes, Valeria. One of my cases against IDPR is currently on appeal -- this one will also be appealed. I have the good fortune to be married to my attorney -- not many midwives have that benefit!

But in the end we will win. We ARE right.

Valerie
 
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