Birth Refugees Midwifery Today magazine is going to do a tribute to Marsden Wagner—the world lost him at 84 years old on Sunday, April 27, 2014, to pneumonia. He was a great advocate for midwives and birthing women and was a Regional Officer for Maternal and Child Health in the World Health Organization for a number of years. He also spoke at many Midwifery Today conferences and often wrote articles for the magazine. About 15 years ago, I asked Marsden, “What is the most important issue facing midwives today?” He answered, “Autonomy.” I believe this was a prophetic statement. In California, a law was recently passed. Because midwives were working to get out from under doctor supervision, they gave up the ability to help mothers with breeches, twins and VBACs, effectively paving the way for more cesareans and other interventions. California Bill AB1308 takes away the basic human right of choice from women most in need of choosing where and with whom they give birth. It makes them even more vulnerable in a largely profit-oriented birth industry. Birth is a human rights issue, but where is the human right for motherbaby or for midwives? Midwives are being pressured into giving up their autonomy to serve women in order to be licensed and approved. Women the world over are searching for safe places to have their babies. A woman from Kazakhstan asked a midwife friend of mine to help with her birth. This woman was able to get a visa, but unfortunately two other women from Russia, who also asked my friend for help, were denied visas. Many women understand the trauma and abuse that can happen within the medical system and, sadly, too many have already experienced it. The Global Midwifery Council (GMC) is attempting to help those whom we are calling “birth refugees.” We are making a list of existing safe places to have optimal births around the world. These are places where moms can come a few weeks to a few months prior to the birth and where they can have a lovely prenatal and birth experience. If you know of any places like this or are a midwife who offers this, please e-mail me at jan@midwiferytoday or Deborah Allen at deborah8790@gmail. There need to be places all over the world for these birth refugees to find rest, relaxation, good food and the best birth possibilities. — Jan Tritten, mother of Midwifery Today Jan Tritten is the founder, editor-in-chief and mother of Midwifery Today magazine. She became a midwife in 1977 after the amazing homebirth of her second daughter. Her mission is to make loving midwifery care the norm for birthing women and their babies throughout the world. Meet Jan at our conferences around the world, or join her online, as she works to transform birth practices around the world.
Posted on: Wed, 21 May 2014 12:59:06 +0000
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