And re the recent discussion what is a midwife. I have stayed out of this thread (so far). Personal issues have kept me distracted. When I read the message about Claire Brassard I felt grieved at the loss of someone who seems to have the midwife's heart and skill, without the registration. I have not met her, but I accept the word of people like Sue Cookson, who I have met. I am grieved that the group of people who support lay midwives has not worked out a way for such women to have their competence acknowledged, and a registration granted. I think this would be a win-win situation. It's probably a discussion that needed to be had. Much midwifery knowledge is basic women's knowledge, and in many instances I think this knowledge has been preserved by (lay) women (some of whom may have taken the role of midwife) and willingly shared with registered midwives who have sought to regain an understanding of what it means to be 'with woman'. Those midwives also share their knowledge, in a mutually supportive way. The destructive paradigm of domination of one group or person over another does not fit with midwifery.
Regulating professions is something that is widely accepted in our society, and is supported throughout legislation. The purpose of these laws is protection of the public - the ordinary Ms Public is supposed to be confident about what a midwife is, and is able to check that the person is actually qualified, and is able to complain if a midwife does something wrong. We can't compare the present situation for unregistered birth attendants with previous generations, or with the birth attendants in developing nations. Gloria Lemay in Canada is an exceptional case, and she was taken to court a couple of years ago. The judgment went in her favour - that as long as she didn't hold herself out as belonging to the College of Midwives, she could do her work attending births. That story is in Birth Matters Vol 4.3 Sept 2000 p10. This is a disjointed argument. I hope someone finds what I have said useful. My plea is let's not split up into warring factions, competing for the tiny proportion of women who choose to step out of the system. I think we all need to work towards achieving national acceptance of a woman's need to be able to choose a known midwife (best practice - evidence based) as a funded option throughout the health system. (ie the Australian Midwifery Campaign) Btw the Campaign Petition now has about 6000 signatures. That's a lot of evidence. We would appreciate all petitions being returned to Maternity Coalition as soon as they are filled. If you want to download a petition, go to www.maternitycoalition.org.au Warm regards Joy Johnston 25 Eley Rd Blackburn South Vic 3130 Tel: 03 9808 9614 Fax: 03 9808 3611 M: 04111 90448 www.aitex.com.au/joy.htm -----Original Message----- From: Mary Murphy [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2001 9:16 PM To: midwifery mailing list Subject: midwifery ideals/long << File: ATT00004.htm >> A quote from Jan Tritten... Midwifery Today. We do midwifery to help families have good, healthy, and if possible, joyful pregnancies and births. Our greatest love should be for women and their babies. The bottom line for you as students and aspiring midwives is to keep your focus on motherbaby-You are answering a calling, one of service, not one that is self-serving. If you don't feel deep in your heart that you are called to be a midwife, please do something else. This is not work in which you will make a lot of money. In these times, it is one of the more uncertain jobs you can undertake. My hope is that we, as enlightened, alternative thinkers and doers, can somehow do better. I had hoped there would be mutual respect and a sense of harmony, or better yet, unity with a lot of diversity (my emphasis) For those who are called to midwifery, there awaits a life that will take all the love you have to give. You have the awesome honor of being "with woman" on her most important life passage. You are there, often the first one to touch the new life sent directly by God to reside awhile on this planet. You are there when people become a family, when maidens become mothers. This is a powerfully spiritual experience and you are there. You are a key person in this life-changing passage. The deepest humility is a necessary characteristic of being a midwife. You will always be learning because the women you continue to serve are your most important teachers. Honor them and their babies by putting them first, before your numbers, before your license-even before yourself. -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
