Carolyn
CARES SA Inc
www.cares-sa.org.au
-------- Original Message --------
| Subject: | [C-Aware] Plea for support. |
|---|---|
| Date: | Sat, 01 Feb 2003 10:34:36 +0800 |
| From: | [EMAIL PROTECTED] |
| Reply-To: | [EMAIL PROTECTED] |
| To: | <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> |
Earlier in the week (or was it last week?) I sent an email to the List that I received from Robyn Henriksen. She is keen to research the emotional impact of caesarean birth on the Mother, but her proposed study is being blocked by an ethics committee. She wrote:
What would really help from my perspective right now, would be if you could write a brief letter noting:================
- the need of emergency caesarean women to be able to express their feelings after the birth, and ...
- a desire on their part that a woman who actually understands what they are going through, do this research.
At present the ethics committee (Standing Committee on Ethics In Research Involving Humans, Monash University) are blocking my research, saying that they are afraid that asking questions about women's negative feelings post-emerg. caesar will either invoke trauma and distress where it didn't exist before, or increase it where it does. They also have some concerns about me being able to be objective in doing the research given that I had one myself 13 years ago.
In my opinion, one cannot invoke trauma merely by asking about it, one cannot increase emerg. caesarean women's distress by asking them about it (it is already as bad as it can be and being able to express feelings can actually be beneficial), and who else is going to be motivated to do this research, if not a woman who has had an emerg. caesar?! (Off the record, I am sure the ethics committee, being familiar with how it is constituted, is not totally devoid of bias and subjectivity in its judgements!) So if you could write a letter (less than a page would do), highlighting the above points and put it on Birthrites letterhead, or provide contact details and a signature to verify its authenticity, I am sure it would add a lot of weight to my case, as they would rightly see your organisation as reflective of expert opinion.
You could then send this to me at:
Ms Robyn Henriksen,
P.O. Box 552,
Geelong, Vic. 3220.
And I will pass it on to the ethics committee. There should be time for a hard copy letter to get to me before I have to hand my reply and supportive evidence to them at the start of Feb. (I think a hardcopy letter would carry more weight than e-mail.)
I have written this letter of support from Birthrites (see below) and encourage others to also offer Robyn support in her study. She would need any further letters in the next day or so, as she is sending them off early next week. Okay? If you are willing to write one, please email her to let her know of your support, and impending letter, at: robynh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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To Whom It May Concern,
Our organization, Birthrites: Healing After Caesarean Inc., has become aware of the research proposal that Ms Robyn Henriksen wishes to undertake; in which she will provide a questionnaire to women who have experienced caesarean birth. We understand that the questionnaire will explore each woman’s emotional reaction to the caesarean birth of their child, thereby providing input into ways in which childbirth professionals can improve the emotional outcome of future surgical births.
Since 1997 Birthrites has provided support, and information, to women who have experienced caesarean birth. The ability to talk about what they have experienced, especially to someone who has experienced a similar birth, has been found to be a basic requirement towards the emotional healing of these women. Talking about the birth experience has been demonstrated to be a positive step towards healing, not a negative one. As Ms. Henriksen has experienced a caesarean herself, she seems the perfect empathetic candidate to conduct such research.
Women who have experienced caesarean births in which they report related emotional distress are often keen to be involved in improving maternity services, in order to prevent similar experiences from happening to others. Thus a post-birth questionnaire, as proposed by Ms Henriksen, would fulfil a two-fold duty – in that it would provide recognition of the possibility, and prevalence, of emotional trauma related to caesarean birth, and it could also then be used as a positive step towards improvements that could be initiated in such Maternity Care throughout the birthing community.
Birthrites agrees fully with the outlined aims of Ms Henriksen’s project, and she has our complete support in her endeavour to improve maternity services, in such a positive way, for women who’ve experienced caesarean births. We will continue to offer her our support, and any help she may require in conducting her research.
Birthing Beautifully,
Jackie Mawson.
Convenor – Birthrites: Healing After Caesarean Inc.
