Tuesday, June 30, 2009

NSW Coroner's plea for homebirth

A NSW Coroner's report dated 26 June 2009, on the death of a baby whose mother gave birth at home in the care of a midwife emphasises the fact that women need to be supported in their choice of homebirth.
An article in SMH today Insurance plea for homebirth midwives gives an overview of the case.

The FIRST of the Coroner's recommendations is:
"1(a) Great care should be exercised in drafting any proposed legislation along the lines recently forecast so as to avoid what may be anunintended consequence of making the practice of 'Home birth' itself unlawful."

Home birth will be unlawful in just 12 months from tomorrow (1 July 2010) if the federal legislation 'Health Practitioner Regulation Law 2009 (Bill B)', which is currently available as an Exposure Draft, passes through parliament without significant amendment and becomes law.

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