The Real Birth Wars

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Me, my Optometrist brother, my three daughters with their home-made signs and one of my daughters when she was newborn feature in this powerful montage high-lighting the current battle for autonomous midwifery and choice in Australia.

For more information on how you can speak up for your right and the right of all parents to access both the midwifery and the obstetric model, and continuity of care from a careprovider of their choice, visit Maternity Coalition

For more on Maggie Lecky-Thompson's case, see:

The Medical Monopoly Targets Homebirth

For more on Graeme Reeves, the 'Butcher of Bega' who mutilated hundreds of women and whose spurious testimony against Lecky Thompson led to her de-registration, see here

Graeme Reeves was the obstetrician behind the persecution and de-registering of one of Australia's best midwives, Maggie Lecky Thompson. Since his conviction, no apology or re-instatement has been offered to Lecky-Thompson. Obstetrician Ted Weaver says that Australia "does not have a culture of homebirth" (like other countries). Hmmm. I wonder why? Our country empowers people like Reeves to destroy people like Lecky-Thompson.
Why were so many nurses and midwives powerless to stop Reeves?
Why was Reeves empowered to sabotage Lecky-Thompson?
Why has Roxon bowed to the AMA?
Why are Australia's homebirthers being ignored, muzzled and dismissed?
Why are obstetricians being empowered to have unilaternal right of veto over midwives, sounding the death knoll for homebirth in Australia?
What kind of a culture do we have?

A fellow birth workers told me recently, "The battle for birth choices, homebirth and autonomous midwifery in Australia is the coal-face of feminism."

http://thinkbirth.blogspot.com.au/2009/12/ex-bega-doctor-faces-52-more-charges.html

The strategy to eliminate midwives in favour of an obstetric monopoly has been implemented for nearly a century: http://www.sciencebasedbirth.com/safety_issues01/rosenbl3.htm