I am so proud and grateful for those that dropped everything to come stand with us. It was such an empowering day. I thought about all the stories I have heard about women injured, babies that died . . . and our own experience at Abel's birth. I hope that families everywhere find the strength to publicly voice their experience and heartache and that legislators finally step up and say that no romanticized ideal is worth a baby's right to the best chance at life.
ALL birth providers should:
-be held to the same high standard of risk assessment, accountability and transparency.
-be licensed.
-carry malpractice insurance.
-follow evidence based practices.
-have their outcomes reported to an unbiased, separate organization to be presented to the public quickly so that consumers can make an educated decision.
This is not about taking away a woman's right. By offering misleading information, withholding statistics and not holding themselves accountable in any way- it is the midwifery community that is taking away a woman's right to an Educated Decision.
One preventable death or disability, is ONE too many.
Please Stand UP for Abel and contact your legislator. In particular Rep. Parrish, who spoke at the midwifery rally voicing her support and making the horrific claim that Midwifery saves the state 2.5 million dollars a year. My son's lifetime expense to the state will be astronomical. Sadly, most of the children injured get to the hospital to late to be revived. Just because they died instead of having a costly C-section or NICU stay does not make it a benefit to the state. That is a shocking statement that turns my stomach. Especially, when Representative Parrish said it to the face of the victims. The lose of each babies life or quality of life a cost that can not be calculated,to the families, the state and society as a whole.
Senator Bates, Representative Greenlick, Representative Hoyle and Representative Keny-Guyer are also in key positions to make decisions on this issue.