Government discriminating against home births, says Homebirth Australia

By Bonny Symons-Brown AAP

August 06, 2009 02:33pm

PROPOSED laws which would stop mothers from accessing registered midwives for homebirths would jeopardise the health of thousands of women and babies, a peak maternity group says.

Homebirth Australia (HA) is angry about a suite of bills introduced to Parliament by the Federal Government in June which propose, among other things, to establish a national midwifery register.

Under the draft laws, midwives must be insured to join the register but private insurers no longer provide cover for homebirthing and the Federal Government has also refused to subsidise professional indemnity for homebirth claims.

HA secretary Justine Caines said the draft laws effectively stop registered midwives legally attending home births.

"The national registration requirement is absolutely appropriate," she told a Senate inquiry into the legislation.

"What is not appropriate has been the (Health Minister Nicola Roxon's) response to say ...'I will enable the funding of one-to-one midwifery care through Medicare for midwives who care for women birthing in the hospital system, but I won't do it for homebirth'."

Despite this, Ms Caines gave the Government the benefit of the doubt, saying any discrimination against homebirthing was an unintended consequence of the registration process.

"I'm not saying that (Ms Roxon) deliberately set out to do this, not at all," she said.

"What she has done is made a giant step forward and been too scared to take the next step because of medical objection, because of the power of the medical lobby."

The Australian Medical Association has previously spoken out against homebirthing, warning it is significantly more dangerous than giving birth in a hospital. But Ms Caines said Labor's legislation would endanger pregnant women who were unable to access registered midwives for their homebirths.

"I don't care if it's 1000 women or 2000 women a year, (Ms Roxon) is putting women in great danger," she said.

"She is also saying 'Your rights don't matter'."

There were both physical and emotional advantages to giving birth at home, Ms Caines said.

"What has come through no doubt in the passion from the women is the ... amazing emotional wellbeing for that woman, for her whole family, but also it does actually impact on clinical wellbeing."

Australian Greens senator Rachel Siewert said draft laws effectively rendered homebirths illegal.

"Where there is a low-risk pregnancy it is safe to have a home birth and women and families need to be able to have that choice," she said.

The Greens will seek to amend the bills to ensure homebirthing with registered midwives remains an option for women in Australia.

From http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25891706-29277,00.html