Jennifer Block, author of Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care, will be speaking and signing books in Ohio next month. OFSB is co-sponsor of two of her stops, in Columbus May 14th and Cincinnati May 15th.

Flyers with full details about both events may be downloaded from the OFSB website. Click here for Columbus and here for Cincinnati. Click here to see an OFSB press release about the Cincinnati event.

Local businesses are invited to purchase purchase a sponsorship ad in the program to be distributed at the Cincinnati event. Each attendee will receive a copy of this program. For more information, please contact Pam Bell at womenswisdom@gmail.com or 513-313-2068. Pam notes, ” Ad rates range from $30 for a 1/8 page ad to $170 for a full page ad. Your ad dollars will support OFSB, and like all advertising, is tax-deductible for your business.”

Saturday, April 19, 2008
10 am - 12?
Holiday Inn Akron-West
4073 Medina Rd., Akron 44333

Directions: From 77 (either north or south): Exit at Rte. 18 East. The Holiday inn lies on the north side of the exit.

For more information, contact Jess Brown at jebrown@neo.rr.com.

If you’ve missed the background for Jerren’s update, read this article.

On April 8, 2008, I went to Butler County Court of Common Pleas and stood in front of Judge Charles Pater. I was charged with two misdemeanors- Attempted Unauthorized Practice of Nursing and Attempted aggravated possession of a drug. I plead guilty to both counts understanding that the punishment for these crimes is a maximum of 12 consecutive months in jail and up to $2000 fine. My sentencing date was set for May 20th, 2008.

The good part is, in all certainty, I probably will not do any jail time. Other than that, it is up to the Judge what will ultimately happen that day. The State was gracious enough to agree to release some of my most important property back to me.

My choice to plead guilty to these misdemeanors was not taken lightly or made easily. I decided to choose this route based on what was best for my family. I consulted many wise men and women who have been on this journey of prosecution before me. Most of them were clear that the battle of legislating midwifery does not go well in a court room. Change happens in the Legislature. I believe that as well. I will do everything in my power to work towards that goal.

Thanks to all you wonderful people who have supported me in this painful and stressful experience. I do not wish this on anyone! I am glad for this to be (almost) over so that I can get on with my life and get back to what I love most- my family, my friends, my community.

Those of you who would like to make a statement and be a part of this final sentencing process, I’m asking one more favor. Would you take a moment and write a simple letter of support for me before May 20th? I believe that if Judge Pater received a few letters showing community support, he would be lenient in his sentencing. Also, if you are local (or not), I would love to sit in that courtroom with a few “friends”.

Katie Prown of Wisconsin writes: “We organized a similar letter-writing campaign for my midwife prior to her sentencing. Her attorney told us that the letters should focus on the writer’s personal knowledge of her character—her motivations in serving as a midwife, her conduct as a midwife and her selfless attitude in carrying out those duties.”

“Basically the most effective letters emphasize how the person is an asset to their community and why putting them in jail or burdening them with a long probation sentence or huge fines would end up doing more harm to the community than good—points that are all too easy to make in reference to Jerren.”

The letters can be addressed to the judge and sent to me and I will collect them and mail them before the May 20th hearing.

My address is:

Jerren Helwig
3814 Dust Commander
Hamilton, OH 45011

Again, thanks for your kindness in this experience and I promise to pay it forward.

Mark your calendars: the day after International Midwives Day, OFSB is coordinating a lobbying day at the state capitol in Columbus. Join us Tuesday, May 6, from 9 am - 3 pm for a day of lobbying for state licensure of CPMs at the Statehouse in Columbus. This is a great chance to familiarize yourself with the state capitol and visit the offices of your state representatives to introduce them to our issue before our bill is introduced next session. You will be provided with all necessary materials, talking points, and directions.

The schedule will be as follows:
9 - 10 am Welcome and Briefing
10 am - Noon Visit Representatives’ Offices
Noon - 1 pm Lunch: Meet up with others from our group, De-briefing
1-2:30 pm Visit Representatives’ Offices OR Attend Legislative Session
2:30-3 pm De-briefing

Please let us know if you are coming, but we won’t turn anyone away who shows up that day, either!

Please DRESS APPROPRIATELY. You want to make a good impression, even on staffers. This includes COMFORTABLE WALKING SHOES. You will be doing quite a bit of walking around the Capitol Complex.

At this point you might be saying, “Me? Lobby?” The idea of “lobbying” may sound intimidating, but it’s actually simpler than you might think. As this is our first event at the Statehouse, we’ve made it pretty easy. Mostly we will be delivering candy with a message to all the representatives’ offices. However, we do want to be prepared so we will give you some talking points for how to handle any chance encounters with legislators. Please practice using those talking points on the staff you meet. It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than, “Here is some candy to celebrate International Midwives Day, which was yesterday. By the way, I hope you will support licensure for certified professional midwives in Ohio.”

This lobby day will be good practice for the future so I hope you will join us, especially if you are interested but have never done any type of lobbying activity. Remember, we will provide all necessary materials on the day of the event and give you suggestions/answer questions.

UNTIL THEN, HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO:

In preparation for Lobby Day, we would like everyone to find out who their representatives are. Please follow the instructions below, and if you run into trouble we can help you. We would like to have the district information of everyone who is participating prior to lobby day, if possible. We will be storing this information in our database for future lobbying efforts.

HOW TO FIND YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES
1. Go to the homepage of the Ohio Legislature, and find the box in the lower right, “Locating Legislators.”
2. Search by ZIP code for your legislators. In most urban areas, you will need your ZIP+4 code to find your exact representatives due to the nature of legislative districts.
3. Don’t know your ZIP+4? Go to www.usps.com, click on “Find a ZIP code” on the top left, then enter your address, city and state.

If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Skestosor Martha Nieset, who are organizing the event.

Safety is not inherent in a place, but in the philosophy of the care provider.

Sherry Payne,BSN, RN 

Show your support for midwives with this eye-catching bumper sticker!

These bumper stickers are available from Ohio Families for Safe Birth for $4 each or 3 stickers for $10, plus $.50 to cover our shipping costs. Each oval sticker is about 6 inches long.

Thanks to Clary Signs for the generous donation of design work and bumper sticker printing to support our cause! Proceeds from bumper sticker sales will be used to fund further public outreach projects of Ohio Families for Safe Birth.

Think home birth is a little radical? Check out this this April Fool’s Day spoof story from the Vail Daily in Colorado.