Lawyers on Our Side "Midwifery is often at an unfair disadvantage with the law. What I mean is that there are times when, in spite of any birth professional’s best effort, applied skills and care, a baby dies. If that happens at a homebirth, the midwife is often blamed, and punitive legal proceedings unfold. Doctors in hospitals do not face comparable scrutiny following a bad outcome, even though babies and mothers regularly die in the hospital from iatrogenic causes. (See the next issue of Midwifery Today magazine for a scathing account by Ina May Gaskin of the misuse of Cytotec.) The overuse and unnecessary use of Cytotec, inductions, augmentation and other generally inappropriate uses of medical technology cause many problems to mothers and babies. Mothers and midwives are caught in a web of harmful obstetric practices and unjust legal treatment. We now have help. The joint Midwifery Today/Human Rights in Childbirth conference of April 2, 2013, convened an international coalition of lawyers working for justice in maternity care. The lawyers present at that event included members of Human Rights in Childbirth International, members of the US think tank Legal Advocates for Birth Options and Rights (LABOR), BirthrightsUK, National Advocates for Pregnant Women and individual attorneys who are dedicated to human rights in childbirth. Since the conference in April, the work of Human Rights in Childbirth (HRiC) network has crystallized. HRiC is a Hague-based organization working to connect and facilitate political activism and legal advocacy for human rights in maternity care the world over, directed by Hermine Hayes-Klein, a US-based lawyer. The US Legal Advocacy Network for Human Rights in Childbirth is a partner organization providing US-based advocacy in matters ranging from the criminal defense of midwives to the lack of informed consent given to women for their birth choices and is directed by Indra Lusero. HRiC Legal Advocacy Networks are also coming into shape in the UK, Ireland, EU and Australia; more are underway. HRiC is again partnering with Midwifery Today for a one-day summit in Blankenberge, Belgium, on November 4, 2013, the day after the conclusion of our annual conference there. This event will continue to grow the HRiC Legal Advocacy Network by convening the lawyers, mothers and midwives across Europe who are involved in legal actions advocating for the human rights of birthing women. The persecution of midwives has been going on for decades, if not centuries. For the first time, we have the help of dedicated lawyers on our side. Hermine and the lawyers working with HRiC declare that all birthing women share fundamental human rights to autonomy and authority in childbirth, including the right to choose the circumstances in which they give birth. This fact is one that we acknowledged in the wording of the Human Rights Declaration of the Global Midwifery Council written in Russia in 2010: “The most basic human right for every woman is the right to choose her place of birth and who will attend her.” The battles waged for control of the maternity care market often have legal significance. Those of us who seek to ensure that birthing women have real options in childbirth need legal advocates who understand the issues and are ready to stand up against perverse market forces and entrenched systems. You can join Midwifery Today in supporting the efforts of HRiC to provide such advocacy by registering for our joint conference on November 4. You can also support HRiC directly at Human Rights in Childbirth and on Facebook at facebook/HumanRightsInChildbirth." Jan Tritten, mother of Midwifery Today Jan Tritten is the founder, editor-in-chief and mother of Midwifery Today magazine. She became a midwife in 1977 after the amazing homebirth of her second daughter. Her mission is to make loving midwifery care the norm for birthing women and their babies throughout the world. Meet Jan at our conferences around the world, or join her online, as she works to transform birth practices around the world. Jan on Twitter: https://twitter/jantritten Midwifery Today on Facebook: facebook/midwiferytoday Jan on Facebook: facebook/JanTrittensBirthPage International Alliance of Midwives on Facebook: facebook/IAMbirth Birth Is a Human Rights Issue: facebook/birthisahumanrightsissue Midwifery Education: Caring and Sharing: facebook/MidwiferyEducation
Posted on: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 13:24:51 +0000
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