The PushStates
What's up in your state?
In 23 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) are subject to criminal prosecution for practicing medicine or nursing without a license.
Citizens and birth-advocacy organizations are working together, with the help of the Big Push for Midwives Campaign, to effect change at the organizational, community, and policy making level by pushing to pass laws licensing CPMs nationwide and incorporating them into our state and federal healthcare infrastructure.
Another 27 states provide for licensure or legally authorized practice by CPMs. Recently, however, the Big Push Campaign has been contacted by several of these legal states seeking resources, as they find themselves with increasingly hostile and prohibitive CPM practice environments. Specifically, there are increasing numbers of physicians unwilling to consult with or receive transfers from professional midwives who practice in out-of-hospital settings. For example, in Delaware this is because insurance companies are threatening to drop malpractice coverage for any physician who consults with CPMs.
CONNETICUT: 3-26-2010: Local hospitals ban VBAC
Danielle Elwood - Across Connecticut there is a growing trend of hospitals which are starting to ban a safe procedure also called VBAC or Vaginal Birth After Cesarean. Recently the National Institute of Health released a new statement after a three day long consensus encouraging hospitals and providers to provide VBAC services as a trail of labor and vaginal delivery after a previous cesarean is the safest option for women with a previous cesarean section. Some of the reasons across Connecticut that have been cites in hospitals no longer allowing this natural bodily function have been everything from providers unwillingness to attend a VBAC all the way to the hospital not being equipped for an emergency that may come from a VBAC delivery or trial of labor after a previous c-section. What is alarming about this is these same hospitals are attending births in first time mothers, which statistically are as dangerous as a woman having a trial of labor with a previous cesarean delivery. ...
Kentucky Midwifery Taskforce YahooGroup
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/KentuckyMidwiferyTaskforce/
Michigan: Friends of Michigan Midwives YahooGroup
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Friendsofmichiganmidwives
North Carolina Friends of Midwives YahooGroup
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NCFOM/?yguid=9511721
North Dakota Birth Action Chat YahooGroup
www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NDBirthActionChat/?yguid=9511721
North Dakota Birth Action YahooGroup
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NDBirthAction/?yguid=9511721
Ohio Families for Safe Birth YahooGroup
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Ohio_Families_for_Safe_Birth/?yguid=9511721
Oklahoma: Heartland Midwives Association YahooGroup
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Heartlandmidwives
Pennsylvania Friends of Midwives YahooGroup
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/pfom/?yguid=352643047
South Dakota for Safe Birth Options Online Community
www.lists.sdsafebirth.org/listinfo/sdsco-community
West Virginia: Midwives Association of West Virginia Yahoo Group
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/friendsofmawv
If you experience technical difficulties with any of the above links, please contact us.
Download Additional Information
PushStates 2009
A CLOSER LOOK at the PushStates
