Sally Amazon
PO Box 93
Mylor 5153
Hon Dean Brown
Minister for Human Services
45 Pirie Street
Adelaide 5000
Tuesday 31st August 2001
Dear Minister
I am writing on behalf of a number of consumer and professional groups
in South Australia.
We wish to invite you to address a gathering of parents, midwives,
consumer groups, childbirth educators, children and all interested
citizens who believe in our community’s right to better birth choices.
Your response following the demise of professional indemnity insurance
for self employed community midwives in South Australia, was to say that
that ‘Midwives in private practice cannot really expect the Government
to cover them.’ (Sunday Mail July 29 2001) We feel you may misunderstand
this issue, which really has much deeper implications for the birthing
public and their families.
No, we don’t want you to arrange insurance for private midwives. Women
of South Australia want guaranteed access to publicly funded, community
based maternity services provided by qualified midwives. We want
continuity of carer throughout pregnancy, labour birth and the postnatal
period. We believe these are basic rights.
The immediate consequence of the loss of insurance is to leave women who
have chosen to pay this cost and ensure one-on-one care with a midwife,
distressed and uncertain about the future at a time when they should be
rejoicing in their approaching motherhood. Many women have called me
saying they had planned to become pregnant, but will now choose not to
if they will have to go to hospital and endure a medically-managed
birth. Others fear entering a system where they will not know the
person who cares for them during labour.
Your government appears to be turning its back on all research and
recommendations from world respected bodies, which show that midwives
are the most appropriate birth attendant in the majority of cases. I
know you have been given this same information over and over and have
access to the results of evidence-based research and various inquiries
which all point to the same thing. New Zealand, Canada and the UK are
implementing maternity service provision to reflect this. Australia’s
failure to do so suggests that women are receiving sub-standard
maternity services and that massive amounts of resources are being
squandered on forcing women into unnecessary obstetrically managed
care. Even if you ignore the benefit to women, their families and to
the community, the economics of midwife-based care alone must surely
persuade you.
We will gather at the Department’s offices at 11 Hindmarsh Square on
Friday 3rd August at 12 noon. We would appreciate it if you could join
the other speakers in addressing the various issues raised here and
informing us of your vision, as Health Minister, of the future of birth
rights in South Australia.
This is a wonderful opportunity for the South Australian Department of
Human Services to lead Australia in appropriate, innovative and
evidence-based maternity service reform.
I apologise for the short notice and look forward to your immediate
reply.
Yours sincerely,
Sally Amazon
For The Birth Network
Bringing together the Homebirth Network of SA Inc, Birth Matters, CARES
SA, AMALG, Transitions and all interested citizens who believe in our
community’s right to better birth
Contact details:
Ph (08) 8388 5659
Mob 0411 962 548
Email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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