Newsweek.com has a brand new article about Birth Choices which references The Big Push for Midwives. The article does a good job of briefly analyzing the choices available to pregnant women in the United States and the pros and cons of each provider: obstetrician, certified nurse midwife, or certified professional midwife.

The article closed with this quote:“As a woman and a mom and an obstetrician, I feel strongly that patients should have choices,” says Dr. Anne Foster-Rosales, former chair of ACOG’s international committee. “But I think making it as safe as possible is very important.” Foster-Rosales has worked with mothers around the world, including in countries where most women give birth at home with untrained attendants. Because of what she has seen, she feels that it is important that home-birth providers not feel ostracized so that they can come to the hospital if necessary. Emergencies may be rare, but the course of an individual pregnancy is unpredictable no matter where you choose to give birth. Protect yourself and your baby by learning as much as you can.

Ohio Families for Safe Birth strongly agrees with Dr. Foster-Rosales’ sentiments. A good first step in helping home-birth providers not feel “ostracized” in Ohio would be to license them instead of prosecuting them.

This press release from the Big Push for Midwives is in response to a news story which appeared in the Cleveland Plain Dealer last week.

Ohio Case Shows Need for Legal Reform on Liability Issues

In states where out-of-hospital midwives are unregulated, physicians put at risk to assume undue liability

(January 28, 2007) — An Ohio physician is being sued for damages on behalf of a baby born at home, and the tragic case highlights the need for legal protections for health care providers who collaborate with out-of-hospital midwives. In states where Certified Professional Midwives, who specialize in providing out-of-hospital maternity care, are licensed and regulated, laws can stipulate that physicians will not be held liable for accepting a transfer of care or for consulting with a licensed midwife.

“This case is just plain tragic on so many levels, and we sympathize with the family’s plight,” said Big Push for Midwives national campaign manager Katie Prown. “But this lawsuit fails to address the real issue here, which is that in states where out-of-hospital midwifery practice remains unregulated, physicians who provide ‘continuity of care’ in the event of a transport to the hospital are put at risk of assuming undue liability burdens.”

Prown, who co-lead the legislative campaign to license CPMs in Wisconsin – the most recent state to pass legislation to license and regulate Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) – said that the law there clearly states that midwives are responsible for their own actions and that the physicians who work with them cannot be held liable for their acts or omissions. Physicians in Ohio lack such legal protections.

“Physicians who collaborate with CPMs in states where they remain unlicensed put the needs of mothers and babies first, and they deserve legal protection for doing so,” said Big Push campaign attorney for legal strategy, Susan M. Jenkins. A leading expert on vicarious liability, Jenkins said laws providing for the licensure and regulation of CPMs further ensure that collaborating physicians will not face disciplinary sanctions for aiding and abetting the unlicensed practice of health care.

“While I am not aware of a case where a physician has been found vicariously liable for a midwife’s actions, the risk of being sued nonetheless is still there, as the Ohio case demonstrates,” added Jenkins. “That’s why providing liability protection for the physicians who collaborate with CPMs is one of the primary goals of The Big Push for Midwives Campaign to license and regulate CPMs in every state.”

States that license and regulate CPMs offer additional liability protection for physicians by ensuring that they cannot be forced into mandatory written contracts with collaborating midwives. “Licensing CPMs works for everyone,” said Prown. “When physicians and midwives are free to collaborate together without binding contracts and under laws that provide for liability protection, mothers and babies receive better care.”

Currently, Certified Nurse-Midwives, who work predominantly in hospital settings, are licensed and regulated in all 50 states, while Certified Professional Midwives, who work in out-of-hospital settings, are licensed and regulated in just 24 states. CPMs are specifically trained to provide out-of-hospital maternity care for healthy women experiencing normal pregnancies, with a particular emphasis on risk assessment and preventative care.

Here’s a great report on the Idaho Big Push rally. Don’t miss the video portion of this local coverage.

The Big Push for Midwives Campaign will be launched today in Chicago to advocate for regulation and licensure of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Big Push Campaign is also pushing back against the attempts by the American Medical Association to deny American families access to legal midwifery care.

Chicago events include a “PushDay” news conference about the national campaign launch, a book signing by author and journalist Jennifer Block for her book “Pushed,” a film screening of the Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein documentary, “The Business of Being Born,” and a viewing of The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project created by midwife pioneer Ina May Gaskin. In addition, multiple states will have PushRallies and PushParties to kickoff the Big Push Campaign. There are events planned in Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and South Dakota.

Currently, Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs), who work predominantly in hospital settings, are licensed and legal in all 50 states. Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs), who specialize in out-of-hospital delivery, are licensed and legal in fewer than half of our states.

CPMs:

• Are specifically trained to provide out-of-hospital maternity care for healthy women experiencing normal pregnancies.
• Offer a family-centered model of care, which is associated with reducing the incidence of c-section, birth injury and trauma, as well as significantly reducing the cost of maternity care.
• Play a vital role in reducing the two most preventable risk factors for infant mortality: low-birth weight and premature birth: babies born too small or too soon.
• Serve a disproportionate percentage of underserved populations, including low-income, rural, inner-city, immigrant, and uninsured families, as well as those Americans who choose out-of-hospital birth for deeply held cultural and philosophical reasons.

The Big Push for Midwives Campaign is the first initiative of the National Birth Policy Coalition (NBPC), which was established in 2007 and is focused on increasing access to the Midwives Model of Care in all settings, as well as supporting legislative initiatives that promote the autonomous practice of Certified Professional Midwives and Certified Nurse-Midwives. So far, the NBPC has been endorsed by nearly 40 organizations, including national and state midwifery organizations, as well as state consumer organizations.

Ricki Lake’s statement of support for the Big Push campaign states: ““When I decided to give birth to my second child at home under the care of a professional midwife, I faced a lot of criticism and skepticism from family and friends. Most of the people around me had a perception of childbirth as a risky medical procedure and thought that I was taking a chance by giving birth in my home, instead of at the local hospital. But after extensive research and a previous hospital birth with my first child, I knew that homebirth with a trained midwife was not only safe, but potentially safer than giving birth in a hospital. I knew that I was giving my child a gift by allowing him to come into the world gently, in our bathtub, with his mother in control of the birth. I knew that I was receiving the best prenatal care available and that it was costing me a few thousand dollars, instead of the thousands and thousand of dollars involved in most hospital births. This was not just a privilege that I could enjoy as a celebrity — this was excellent, cost- efficient healthcare that all women should have access to. …

“…The Big Push for Midwives Campaign comes at a time when we realize we much increase access to U.S. maternity care, decrease maternity care costs, and improve our nation’s birth outcomes. The campaign will facilitate this by achieving licensure for ALL midwives in ALL states, D.C. and Puerto Rico. The campaign will highlight the importance of family healthcare choices, and will defend the ability of CPMs to provide legal and safe prenatal, birth and postpartum care to families in every state…

“… I sincerely hope that U.S. state lawmakers do not deny parents a basic human right by restricting how their children can come into the world. I also hope that policy makers recognize midwifery as a serious, social-service profession that deserves licensing, public support and admiration.”

Ohio Families for Safe Birth is proud to be a supporting member of the Big Push and member of the National Birth Policy Coalition.