23rd August 2010 | 16 Comments
One of the big things the government keeps banging on about in its anti-homebirth drive is “collaboration”. You might think that the existing situation – woman hires midwife, woman and midwife seek obstetric surgeon or hospital in the unlikely event of need, often midwives have relationships built up with hospitals or surgeons so that’s not [...]
Filed under: bullshit, careproviders, consumers' rights, homebirth campaign, reproductive justice, surgical monopoly
10th August 2010 | 1 Comment
Throwing out the lies with the birth water is a documentary about a woman’s right to give birth at home. It outlines the key issues for birth choices in the Blue Mountains, NSW. It follows one woman’s journey before, during and after her homebirth. It questions the definitions of risk in birth and the notions [...]
Tags: birth in Australia, obstetric monopoly, reproductive freedom
Filed under: consumers' rights, homebirth campaign, reproductive justice, surgical discourse
10th July 2010 | 0 Comments
17th May 2010 | 3 Comments
The “Quality and Safety Framework” has been released. For something supposedly produced after hours of consultation and furrowed brows crouched over our hot submissions, it looks remarkably like all the other dross produced by the government and fellow travellers around this issue. Screw women, screw midwives, tell everyone a lot of bullshit, ahhh job well [...]
Filed under: consumers, consumers' rights, feminism, homebirth, homebirth campaign, midwives, midwifery, reproductive justice
16th May 2010 | 0 Comments
The “quality and safety framework” has been released. My response looks like this: Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com The real birth wars
Tags: commentary that bites, homebirth science not obstetric superstition, human rights, misinformation campaign, obstetric monopoly, personhood of the foetus, pesky pesce, reproductive freedom
Filed under: bullshit, careproviders, consumers, consumers' rights, homebirth campaign, midwives, midwifery, reproductive justice, surgical discourse, surgical monopoly
5th May 2010 | 3 Comments
You are a midwife, assisting at someone else’s birth. Do good without show or fuss. Facilitate what is happening rather than what you think ought to be happening. If you must take the lead, lead so that the mother is helped, yet still free and in charge. When the baby is born, the mother will [...]
Tags: birth attendants, homebirth, human rights, international midwives' day, reproductive freedom
Filed under: careproviders, homebirth campaign, midwives, midwifery, reproductive justice
27th April 2010 | 0 Comments
While under no illusions whatsoever that submitting anything for consumers has anything to do with the process to dismantle homebirth, I still have to do it. We are still here, and we’re not going anywhere. This week’s treat is the new “framework” for “eligible” midwives even though as yet there’s no information on what exactly [...]
Filed under: Uncategorised, careproviders, consumers, consumers' rights, feminism, homebirth, homebirth campaign, midwives, midwifery, reproductive justice
19th April 2010 | 0 Comments
In a nicely Orwellian turn of phrase where we’re assured that our choices are being expanded, the government deigned to share some of their maternity “care” plans with us. Finally. The AMA’s choices are sure being expanded but those of birthing women have been reduced to “When? How high?”. Luckily for me, Lisa Barrett has [...]
Tags: birth in Australia, human rights, reproductive freedom
Filed under: bullshit, consumers' rights, feminism, homebirth, homebirth campaign, reproductive justice, surgical monopoly
15th March 2010 | 0 Comments
14th March 2010 | 0 Comments
The Trust Birth conference is being tweeted so it’s like little live jewel bursts of glorious information coming out during the sessions! If you twitter, join in and retweet some beautiful birthing wisdom as it happens! * And it definitely won’t be on Facebook if it involves breastfeeding.… The revolution will not be televised* but [...]
Tags: trust birth conference
Filed under: consumers' rights, feminism, homebirth campaign, midwives, midwifery