GOVERNMENT BACKFLIP ON MIDWIVES

Family First Leader Senator Steve Fielding has welcomed the decision by the Health Minister to back down on its controversial plan to drive homebirths underground.

...now the government says it won’t force midwives to work in formal collaborative arrangements with doctors as a condition of insurance.

"The Rudd Government's backflip proves they clearly underestimated how important this issue was to Australian women,” Senator Fielding said.

“Women should have the right to choose whether they want to have a birth in a hospital or at home, and midwives that assist in either case should be able to access affordable indemnity cover.

How I love intelligent, thinking men! Senator Fielding, not only believes women have the right to be self determining, he even reads the research and understands it. (wonder if dynamic Dr 3am has read this report?)

“Numerous studies have shown that for low-risk women with appropriate transfer-to-hospital options available, homebirths are at least as safe as births in hospitals or birth centres.”


GOVERNMENT BACKFLIP ON MIDWIVES