Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Father Knows Best Meets Big Brother Is Watching

Physician Group Seeks to Outlaw Home Birth—Is Jail for Moms Next?
To read more...

Just in time for Father’s Day, at its annual meeting last
weekend, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a resolution to introduce legislation
outlawing home birth, and potentially making criminals of the mothers who choose home birth with the
help of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) for their families.

“It’s unclear what penalties the AMA will seek to impose on women who choose to give birth at home,
either for religious, cultural or financial reasons—or just because they didn’t make it to the hospital in
time,” said Susan Jenkins, Legal Counsel for The Big Push for Midwives 2008 campaign. “What we do
know, however, is that any state that enacts such a law will immediately find itself in court, since a law
dictating where a woman must give birth would be a clear violation of fundamental rights to privacy and
other freedoms currently protected by the U.S. Constitution.”

1 comment:

tie-dyed doula said...

Are they trying to make home birth go underground all over the country, as it is already in many states? Where is the safety in that? Sneaking, stress,penalties for midwives, untold birth stories...how does that make birth safer for the mother and baby? I get so outraged reading this stuff-thanks for posting.

JUST THINKING...
There are more than 40 countries

Where it is safer to be born than in the US*

*The World Fact Book Updated July 2006

https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html

LET’S GET EDUCATED

IT’S TIME TO MAKE DECISIONS

LET’S WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE CHANGE