----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2001 10:00
AM
Subject: Midwifery Insurance
Dear all
This issue is not about place of birth. If it
was, then on the evidence PI insurance should be lowest for those midwives
attending women with uncomplicated pregnancy's & births at
home.
This issue is not about safety, or evidence -
based practice. If it was, the majority of both obstetricians and midwives
would be salaried through the public sector and midwifery led care would be
the gold standard and the norm for quality maternity provision in this
country.
This issue is not about responsible governance,
or equity and access to
"health for all Australian families." If it was,
successive governments would have
implemented a no fault liability scheme years
ago.
This issue, like so many others that involve the
health & well being of women & children is about MONEY and
POWER.
At its basest level, it is about the continuing
exploitation and colonisation of these bodies as financially lucrative market
places. "Closing the gap" is a clear
demonstration of further aggressive attempts to
"sew up" many women's
nonexistent "choice" in childbirth in this
country. The metaphors and language are overwhelmingly explicit and self -
explanatory.
This issue is about basic human
rights:
it is about every woman's right in Australia to
access and equity in choosing a midwife as her primary caregiver during
pregnancy, birth, and after her baby is born.
The insurance issue is providing a unique
opportunity to send loud, clear messages into the community and the government
with regard to:
* introducing a national no fault liability
scheme;
* maternity funding reform that enables
equity and access for all women to
midwifery led care in the home, the
hospital, and the community;
* legislative review and amendment to
facilitate appropriate regulation of the
midwifery profession in this
country;
* a need for expansion of culturally
appropriate birthing services and recognition of
indigenous midwives;
* the cessation of scandlous exploitation
and inefficient allocation of taxpayers
resources, that contribute to
propping up systems perpetuating unnecessary and
harmful interventions on mothers and
baby's.
This is a long, hard, wearying journey (a bit
like many labours), but the integrity of what we are putting our energies into
will sustain us.
Never has there been a better time to drive the
message home.
Keep on going all you wonderful women, families,
and midwives.
There is ALWAYS a solution.
Here is the Democrats News Release
Regards
Roz Donnellan - Fernandez
Self Employed Community Midwife
