Wholeheartedly agree Andrea. We SHOULD all be outraged at what is happening. How many of us shake our heads in disbelief when we hear of an Agency RN being placed on labour ward for a shift? I know it makes my blood boil! And this is not because my job is specifically threatened, it's that the whole being of midwifery takes a step backwards when things like this happen. We become less and less visible to the general public, hospital managers, other health professionals, and most importantly, to women when the boundaries are crossed.
The Nurses' Boards and other governing bodies have, over the years gone to great lengths to provide policy and practice guidelines regarding regulation of what we can and can't do. If only the same amount of energy and input was afforded this crisis, where midwives are now having political limitations placed on their right to practice within the scope of their educational and experiential capabilities... Tania PS Just to throw in another of my little pie in the sky ideas...how do we increase the membership to the ACMI? Do as in NZ and make it a compulsory requirement of registration. Maybe, if all midwives have to belong, we will have a stronger body in a variety of senses of the word! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andrea Bilcliff" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2004 10:27 AM Subject: [ozmidwifery] Uniting midwives & midwifery students > Well said Tania! > > All midwives and midwifery students should be working together, supporting > each other (regardless of education, experience or workplace) for the whole > midwifery profession and for the right of women to be able to choose how, > where & with whom they give birth. How will things ever change if we don't > all 'stick together', join ACMI and support MC's efforts? > > Where is the support for those midwives who currently practise without the > benefit of PII and whose registrations and income are at risk? The whole > profession should be outraged that women in the NT are effectively being > told that they can no longer have homebirths and that highly skilled > midwives are being told to stop supporting them. Who will be held > accountable if complications occur during an unassisted homebirth? > Regardless of our personal beliefs, the evidence continues to support > homebirth as a safe option for healthy pregnant women and we should all be > outraged that women are being denied this. > > What about the closure of smaller maternity units and a case-load program, > the shift of a birth centre that sees care now fragmented over different > unsuitable locations (in Victoria)? What are all midwives doing about it? We > would have a much greater voice if we all stood together. > > My rant over... > > Andrea Bilcliff > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Tania Smallwood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > ...what is relevant is that right now there are lots of us in > > this great country of ours, educated in varying ways, to be with women as > > midwives. We need to embrace that, not allow it to tear us apart... > > ... There is so much at stake for women and midwives at the moment in our > > current environment of political dictatorship and fear of litigation. > > Sadly, this seems to interpret into the midwifery profession falling apart > > at the seams, with little factions forming, all with their own idea of > > what > > midwifery truly is. I find it sad that I can truly appreciate the skill > > and > > worth of the midwife who works tirelessly in the NICU, (and I am acutely > > aware that I don't posess some of those necessary skills for that area), > > supporting families and babies through a tenuous time, but that I don't > > receive the same respect back, as I work using my own set of skills, > > supporting women to birth safely at home. We are all skilled, in many > > different ways. Our diversity and differing areas of skill and interest > > should be what unites us, not what forces us apart. And the ways in which > > we are educated to work in our area of calling should also be that of > > great > > interest, information sharing, and a means of learning from each other, > > not > > a wedge to drive our profession even further away from unity. > > > -- > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
