Nurses & Midwives Bill Important Update - Nov 5th
Published: Thursday, November 04, 2010
The Bill passed Committee stage in full yesterday morning. The meeting only lasted 1hr 45min and only Minister Harney, S O'Fearghail (chair), James Reilly, Margaret Conlon, Rory O'Hanlon, and Kathleen Lynch were present. No amendments relating to our concerns were discussed
Please join us in a Letter Campaign to support a joint Amendment for the report stage of the Nurses and Midwives Bill.
The N&M Bill has to go through report stage in the next week or two. This stage also accepts amendments.
The Home Birth Association of Ireland, The Community Midwives Association, Clare Birth Choice, National Birth Alliance, The Doula Association, AIMS Ireland have created the following amendment which we are seeking to be supported by TD's and Senators at the Report Stage level and in the upper house.
In order to push our amendment, we are seeking help from our member-base and supporters in a letter campaign to your local TD's & Senators as well as the following 4 spokespersons for health.
We will include a form letter below but please try to make this as personal as possible - let them know how this Bill will affect you and why.
This Bill will prevent thousands of women from accessing midwife led care - at home. The HSE has already implemented similar blanket bans on midwife led care n hospital-based options.
For example, I have had 4 spontaneous, unassisted natural vaginal births but I am on the banned list for hospital based midwife led services and would be affected for home birth should the Bill be passed in its current form. Why? Because my BMI is over 29 (always has been). The evidence says women like me should have midwife led care if desired and women like me still benefit from midwife led care over obstetric led care, but the HSE have acted against this and taken that choice away. Same goes for women with a previous big baby (regardless of delivery), women turning 40 before birth, women whom have had IVF, etc etc etc.... These woman have no choice. These women have been given no opportunity to make an informed decision. These women have been denied the option to access evidenced based care by blanket policy. These women's midwives have been denied the professional autonomy to make an individual assessment.
Make sure they understand - Your Vote and Your concerns count!
Emails for 4 spokespersons for Health:
1. Minister Harney minister's_office@health.gov.ie
2. Labour's Jan O' Sullivan : jan.osullivan@oireachtas.ie
3. Fine Gael's James Reilly: james.reilly@oireachtas.ie
4. Sinn Fein's Caoimhghin O' Caolain: caoimhghin.ocaolain@oireachtas.ie