The Idaho Legislature recently passed a midwiffery licensing bill that places some restrictions on midwives and mandates a minimum of care standard. As a conservative I tend to oppose government regulation, but on this particular bill, I don’t see anything egregious. Some of the callers to my radio show — most, actually — disagreed and felt it was a horrible violation by the state to set a minimum standard of care for those who deliver babies for a living.
Anyway — a couple of points on this. We have to get a license to catch a fish. If you want to cut someone’s hair, you have to have a license. If someone wants to sell hot dogs at the county fair… it takes a license. So why would people be so angry about someone needing a license to bring children into the world? (I agree that some licensing requirements are foolish.)
On a larger note, I think that some have become so anti-government that they no longer are thinking clearly and their minds are programmed to respond to certain triggers without giving an issue a full hearing in their own minds and hearts. In a private call after the show one man told me that having licenses for midwives was taking another step toward forced sterilization for mothers deemed unfit to have children. Yikes!
It’s getting loony out there.
Popularity: 7%
Related posts:
:@:)
Loading ...
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I was listening to a portion of your radio show (half-tempted to call in myself) and I was more than a little surprised by the self-proclaimed pro-lifers who called in protesting the loss of their civil liberties without once acknowledging the lack of choice the yet-unborn baby has in the matter.
I disagree with some of the callers who suggested that the bill was simply a protective measure aimed at “irresponsible parents” who may or may not be a subset of the mothers who smoke, take drugs, etc. while pregnant.
This seems like a common sense bill to protect the well-being of the most innocent party involved…the child being born…irrespective of how “responsible” the parents are. Making the issue about your own civil liberties instead of the baby’s is irresponsible.
Anyway, as is not often the case, I’m with Neal on this one.
Regulate midwiffery. And, as Vetinari says, tax the rat farms.
needs to be regulated just like ALMOST every OTHER medical procedure. I think all should be regulated
I have been following this since last summer when my son was born in a birth center under the care of a midwife. Allow me to share a bit of my insight into this bill.
This bill was initiated by midwives and has the support of almost 90% of midwives statewide. Ironically, the two strongest opponents to this bill were the libertarian leaning limited government crowd and the AMA (American Medical Association). There are many reasons as to why this bill was introduced in a state that had no prior regulation on midwifery.
1. It “legitimizes” the practice of midwifery. It isn’t like a 5000+ year old art needs legitimized, but in the eyes of our current governmental and political climate, licenser means that there are agreed upon regulations, standards, and procedures. In a sense, the midwives are being proactive by making what they do “legal” before some body else comes in and makes it illegal. There are groups out there that want just that and have succeeded in many states. I won’t go into the details of that, but if you are interested do some googling.
2. With licenser, there is more protection for both the consumer and the midwives when it comes to safety and liability. Again, this is a direct result of our sue happy culture as well as consumers being lazy and not checking out claims and references.
3. It also opens up doors for midwives to have access to certain drugs as well as oxygen so they can legally be prepared to intervene in the rare case of a life threatening complication.
From my point of view, it is one of those instances where governmental licensure protects my right to have a legal choice in where my children are born and who is over seeing it.
The thing about this bill that passed, is that the midwives were CLEARLY the people who were pushing this bill to pass. My midwife that we just used on March 28th to deliver our baby participated in passing this bill.
So I don’t know what the content of this radio broadcast was, but I think that it’s a bunch of hype. Sometimes people just get bored and feel it necessary to complain about something on the radio. (or post on blogs, as I am doing now).
Here is my ultimate problem with mid-wifery being illegal.
1. Mid-wifery has been around since 4000 years ago, if you read the Book of Exodus in the Bible.
2. it is a safe practice compared to hospital infant mortality rates.
3. That mid-wives faced FELONY charges for administering petosin is rediculas!
When you start telling me who I can and who I can not have deliver my baby, you are crossing many constitutional lines there.
If I, as a responsible adult choose a mid-wife to deliver my baby, instead of a hospital. Then I, as I responsible adult should have the right to select whom, and where I decide to have my baby with.
Let me give you my prospective on this subject by illustrating a point made at a senate hearig in Washington state (SB 5615). This is about fundamental principles and constitutional rights.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=764ExC7YTqM
All of these people who say “I am not in favor of big government…. but….”.. Well, but out! I don’t need you monitoring my personal choices. Thanks!
Fundamental Principles.
http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/JFHMS/principles.htm
This is the best definition I could find so far. But I encourage, neh.. Challenge you to research other POV’s also!
Our government is based on five major principles:
· Consent of the governed—People are the source of any and all governmental power.
“No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent.” Abe Lincoln
· Limited government—Government is not all-powerful and may do only those things people have given it the power to do.
“There is nothing more corrupting…than the exercise of unlimited power.” William Henry Harrison
· Rule of law—The government and those who govern are bound by the law.
“Power in human hands will ever be liable to abuse.” James Madison
· Democracy—In a democratic system of government the people rule.
“’We the people’ tell the government what to do, it doesn’t tell us.” Ronald Reagan
· Representative government—In a representative system of government people elect public officeholders to make laws and conduct government on their behalf.
“Officeholders are the agents of the people, not their masters.” Grover Cleveland
This comes from a recent blog that i made.
http://xcannabis.com/2009/03/what-do-fundamental-principles-and-civil-liberties-have-in-common/
In response to April, if birth were a medical procedure then I would be guilty of felony practicing medicine without a license for delivering my son. The Medical Industrial Complex has worked very hard to switch the paradigm of birth to that of a medical procedure that must only be done in a hospital under the care of a doctor. The sad thing is that they have done this using mis-information that creates such fear towards a perfectly natural part of the human experience. This is exactly why this bill IS important and why the AMA is so against it. They have an industry to protect and midwifery is re surging in popularity as medical costs skyrocket and people become more informed.
It is so important to be educated about your choices and stances. We live in strange times and the fight to keep what freedom we have left is complex.
I understand, and support, people’s right to have a midwife, but myself, I find that way too scary.
I had to have an emergency c-section with my first, and I’ve known several other women that would have been in severe trouble had they not been in the hospital during the birth.
Do midwives work within the hospital system, or mainly just outside of it? Sorry if that was already addressed and I missed it.
Our 8lbs 15oz baby was delivered VBAC by a midwife a few days ago. Huge baby, complicated birth, perfect results.
The AMA, and other greedy physician and HMO’s need to get the hell out of my business!
I think that this is a good one. As a mother of four I can tell you that if I hadn’t been in a hospital I would have died with the first one. I did have a doctor, who was amazing and pulled us both through it without a c-section, but then my second one, I had a doctor who was HORRIBLE. HE wanted to deliver the baby, even though it was clear both the baby and I were in serious trouble. It tood a midwife and five nurses to convince him I needed a c-section. Next child. Doctor was nice, planned c-section, he screwed it up. I almost lost my next baby because of the terrible job he did. My next baby, wonderful doctor, wonderful c-section, and shortest recovery I had ever had.
We need this bill to allow those who want a midwife to be able to have that opportunity, and make sure that thier insurance covers it. I don’t know if many of you know this, but there are many insurances out there that will not cover a midwife, because of the licensing issuse.
I chose not to use one, because of family history, but if I had been able to, I would have jumped at the chance of having a midwife. Not all doctors are great at what they do, but the same goes for everything. Give people the choice. In the end, the mother does know best.
I totally agree, give more choices to the mother. After my first experience, I was a little worried with the 2nd one, so I made sure to be at the hospital and ready for anything, but he nearly delivered himself, easiest birth I can imagine.
Each situation is a different as the resulting children, and I don’t think it hurts at all to have more choices.
I’m sorry, but personally,(and this is JUST MY OPINION) not having a lisenced somebody around to supervise a birth is kinda crazy. Almost everyone (I think) would agree that childbirth can kill, and in many different ways. Not just the mother, but the child as well.
So to me? It is medical. Just like removing anything else major from your body.
Women and children both survived for thousands of years being born without any licensed whoever’s to deliver said babies. It’s not rocket science. Sure their are complications as with anything in life, but such is life. There’s no need for it. Just more government intervention if you ask me. That’s just my opinion on the topic FWIW.
This is another one of those times when people are going to have very strong feelings one way or the other. The best way to counter that, license the midwives and give people the choice.
I wouldn’t use a midwife personally mainly because of my own experiences, I have to agree with April. But if a simple license makes the midwives available for the people that want them, it really seems like a small thing.
Maybe with the licensing people who are reluctant would be persuaded to use the avenue more often. Just a thought.
I think the licensing of midwives is just another way for our government to finagle money from yet another untapped source. When is enough, enough?
I say the medical industry and the laws and regulations surrounding medicine is not just the government’s issue. It’s these big med companies buying out our government.. And WE (we the people), let them!
These big insurance companies are getting Billions of our tax dollars for making bad choices, and then giving million dollar bonuses?!
Yeah right! Tell me that the gov isn’t in the back pockets of these huge medical and insurance companies.
It’s not truly the government regulating and taxing us. It’s the medical companies who’s influence is all over Washington.
I am hoping that this will create more programs to certify midwives, and have more of them available in our area…. Though my daughter might not have made it if I had given birth at home, I would have loved to have had a midwife there with me at the hospital.