Don't Let Litigation Rule Birth Choices

There has been a lot of media lately about “bad home birth outcomes” – both here in Aus as well as in America, and it has been distressing to say the least. These stories are inevitably extremely biased towards a medical view – that hospital is the only safe place to birth – without any fair representation of the truth. Both of the most recent stories discuss the death of a baby at home and neither story mentions that babies die in hospitals too. Neither story mentions the studies that repeatedly show that home birth is as safe as hospital birth with far fewer injuries, traumatic outcomes and higher breast feeding rates. Far happier mums and bubs all around. But it does not surprise me – I have lost all faith in the media and our legal and political systems, and I do not have much hope left for our medical system.

Let me be very clear – care in a hospital is NOT about what is in the best interests of mothers and babies. The doctors and midwives on the coal face may have very good motives, but the policy makers – those that dictate how a labour and birth will be “managed” are purely trying to protect themselves from litigation – regardless of whether it is good care or not. So long as it seems as if all technology was applied, then there is no case to answer. But there are some glimmers of hope for the medical profession – not all it seems have sold their souls and can see the dark path that birthing in Australia is descending. I would like to finish my little rant tonight (sorry, it’s late and I’ve got an early start) by quoting an Australian Obstetrician who is distressed by where things are heading. Insurance for midwives is NOT the answer – we CANNOT let litigation rule birth choices. Australian women – you need to stand up and reclaim the power of birth – YOUR BODY, YOUR BABY, YOUR BIRTH – YOUR CHOICE.

“- - - I agree with you that at the end of it all women are the "victims" of our medico legal system, when it is supposed to be helping them. [Local hospital] midwives have just been forced into doing mandatory admission CTG's in the interests of the hospitals lawyers. We argued until we were blue in the face that it won't improve outcomes for women and babies, or even reduce the litigation, but after a recent $14 mill payout they are only worried about their bottom line. - - - It is getting harder and harder to practice GOOD obstetrics and midwifery in Australian hospitals. Which is why HB midwives becoming insured is such a double edged sword. I'll bet a million bucks that any insurance company that takes on insurance for home birth midwives will have a long list of do's and don'ts for their "customers", which will reduce home birth to hospital birth in the home. And if the midwives refuse to do it they will be uninsured and de-registered and we are back where we started.”