Suzy:
Here's some information on the topic before we begin.
Current legal status in MO and KS
The two main advocacy groups in MO that file lawsuits and "educate" politicians are the MSMA (MO State Medical Association) and several smaller midwifery advocacy groups including this one.
Now for the main arguments: Midwife supporters argue that increased public access to midwife care is a good thing because midwives are well trained and experienced caregivers that specialize in normal pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. The opposition argue that not just everyone should be legally allowed to deliver a baby.
And my opinion is: If you read the information, think it's pretty clear that safety is not the real reason why the MSMA opposes midwifery. If safety were a real concern, national groups like the AMA would be advocating on a national scale, and they're not. Also, if you read the data about midwifery in other countries, you'll find that it's very safe and a preferred method in many countries to help keep healthcare costs manageable. So what is the real concern then, if not safety? Why, money of course. If midwives are out there charging only $2500 per full prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care (without going through an insurance company), while just the delivery in a hospital will cost you around $10,000 if you don't have any 'extras' like complications or drugs or a c-section, the MSMA is clearly defending the economic interests of its members and nothing more.
Here's some extra reading for you.
Economics vs Public Safety
Recent coverage of the MO Supreme Court battle
A Blog
Another Blog
By the way, I promise that all of my posts will not be about baby stuff in the future. Don't worry, my life didn't just stop when I got pregnant. I've just been harboring this frustration for a while and feel the need to expel it. And, I hope you think it's as much BS as I do. People, pregnant or not, should have the right to choose what's best for themselves to stay healthy and lead a healthy life. Doctors, nurses, lawyers, and politicians are all pretty educated, but I don't want any of them making my healthcare choices for me. It's as simple as that.
Kisses to everyone. (And please read Greg's post below. I didn't mean to overshadow him. :P )
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I just happened on an article that stated over 80 companies in the U.S. allow... well, here's the link.
For those not interested in reading the article, I thought the following was the most interesting.
"The United States and Australia are the only two countries in the industrialized world that don't have paid statutory maternity leave (there are exceptions in some US states). At least in Australia, though, your job is protected for a year; in America, even the leave protection only lasts for 12 weeks. It's an astonishingly backward state of affairs, like discovering that France doesn't have a postal service. A Harvard Study of 168 countries, measuring how different governments meet the needs of working families, found the US to be in the bottom five. But rather than do anything so tedious as campaign for reasonable terms, American lobbyists have instead thought more laterally, with a softly, softly, looky-after-baby approach: bring your baby to work with you."
Most of the article just chronicled three different people that attempted to bring their kid to work for the day.
Have we seriously gotten to a point in American society where business is more important than family? How did we get here?
In Germany, the government pays you for having a child. Bastian's parents received 300 euros each month per kid until the child makes enough money to sustain themselves or they turn 27. Just to help out.
In France, the government offers free childcare centers from age 3 to kindergarten, in addition to tax breaks and discounts on transportation, cultural events and shopping and they have been increasing the incentives (WashingtonPost.com)! I'm not too sure about Canada and other places but I'm sure that many of them have progressive family focus, too.
What has happened to America's family values?
Greg. I think our country is in a sad sad state as well, especially in healthcare and childcare.
To merge this subject with Suzy's, I would like to put a plug in for "Baby-Friendly Hospitals."
See link: http://www.unicef.org/programme/breastfeeding/baby.htm
While I fully support Suzy's decision to use a midwife, I find think I will be too paranoid to go that route. Perhaps it is just my own freakish birth that scares me. I want things all natural as well, but in a hospital. So, back to tying this together...Baby-Friendly hospitals are hospitals that take extra care to support breast feeding. As a dietitian, I cannot express how incredibly beneficial breast feeding is for a baby. I have found that in Missouri and Kansas, most of the baby-friendly hospitals are a little more family-friendly as well. They usually provide breast feeding and pumping rooms for their employees, and typically longer maternity leaves. Maintaining a good milk supply is difficult if a mom is not allowed to nurse or pump while at work. And since the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breast feeding to at least 4, and preferably 6, months of age, the 12 week leave that Greg mentions is ridiculous!!! Not to mention, breast feeding to 12 months is ideal. So, word on the streets of nutrition is that these baby friendly hospitals are noticing an increase in work production since starting their initiative, and other local businesses are catching on.
Did any of that make sense?
So much to think about. I don't think it's just a decline in family values, which that term can't help but make me think of the conservatives who use it to take rights away from gay couples, but a decline in general respect and care for ones neighbor. American culture has evolved into an it's-all-about-me way of thinking and I think it leading to many other problems. I would elaborate and will if asked but I am making dinner so I don't have much time.
Post a Comment