Women question PM Rudd and Roxon about maternity reforms at Ballarat Community Cabinet Meeting

[amylockyemily]

While Nicola Roxon and cohorts move cautiously what happens to women who do have so called risk factors? Are they forced into hospitals or forced to free birth?

How long will we have to wait until we can have our next babies so we can can birth legally and without fear?

While she is confident she is moving in the right direction for the majority, what happens to the rest of us?

[HelenRomeo]

Absolutely well done to you 3 wonderful women - ha, how wonderful that RUDD got a trifecta! Not luck, that's fate & we are going to win this fight! I love the next bloke claims he's not with the MC but sympathizes with them & that's the point I keep making in regards to the stupid 1% of our population comments - Australia might have a low % of homebirth but that's because we follow the medicalised model & allowing our birth culture to mimic the US! More than 1% support our right to choose!

[justinecaines]

Nicola you are a lawyer, and your answer clearly indicates that you will be taking women's rights away. A woman has the right to informed consent and to refuse care. THIS IS ESTABLISHED AS A COMMON LAW RIGHT. By all means establish your 'guidelines' BUT ANSWER THE QUESTION. If a woman demonstrates informed consent will you guarantee she will be able to continue in the care of a registered midwife?

[thirdbeverleywalker]

I get a bit tired of hearing the small figures about homebirth. These figures were up to 2% prior to the insurance crash. Remembering it has been hard for HB midwives to advertise income is limited. From what I hear home birth midwives are being kept very busy since free advertising compliments of the AMA has begun. More power to all of you. Beverley Walker Vic

[geminy74]

And Roxon said a while back that the Govt wants to gather homebirth data/stats over the next couple of years. How can they obtain AUTHENTIC data around births when so many women will be excluded from birthing at home by these frameworks?

[saoirsejb]

I appreciate Roxon's 'good intentions' but she still is establishing a system by which midwives will be subordinate to obstetricians and obstetric rather than midwifery philosophy, which will guarantee that ALL women must birth within obstetric model and NO woman can legally access the midwifery model. Midwives will be prevented from practicing midwifery. This contracts choice, it does not expand it.

[saoirsejb]

who (a) don't understand the midwifery model or normal birth and have no training in this specialty and (b) have a vested interest in achieving a monopoly over birth services so that regardless of whether a customer thinks she is choosing midwife care or obstetric care, she STILL winds up receiving care that is controlled by obstetric philosophy and protocols and NOT midwifery philosophy and protocols.

[saoirsejb]

It sounds good. But she does not seem to see that she is instituting "frameworks" that are set by obstetricians, and whether a midwife is working in a hospital, or in a public homebirth service, or as in Independent Midwife, she is setting it up so that ALL midwives must practice within protocols set by OBSTETRICIANS

[cdwrightson]

Thank you for making this available. Good to see what Roxon actually has to say given she has refused to meet with women this law affects to date.