Petition to Allow Private Midwives to be Eligible for Professional Indemnity Insurance or to Be Exempt from Being Required to Enroll in PI

Women need support to birth how and where they choose.

This is a right for all birthing women. They shouldn't be made to feel unsafe because midwives aren't covered with PI.

I support women's right to homebirth and midwife's right to attend them.

Midwife in the Netherlands / make home births possibĺe

Midwives should have the same protection other health professionals have.

Involvement or attendance during a birth should be treated as something that women consent to, just like sex requires consent. Forcing women to birth in what are ultimately public places by effectively removing their options for birthing safely at home can impact negatively on a woman's privacy and dignity during labour, her sense of safety during labour & therefore on birth outcomes. I for one would certainly not trust the care providers in a hospital (in general) and I would not feel comfortable giving birth in a hospital again. For me birth is a private act and only trusted people may be involved/present - for some women hospital can be a sensory and psychological assault & ultimately there is a legitimate fear of choices not being respected in that setting. Don't force women to choose between bad care or no care.

I am past my child-bearing years but add my name to this petition as I strongly believe in the right for women to have a professional private midwife present AT HOME should they choose to deliver their new born into this world in the most comforting place: home, for the physical and emotional health of both mother and baby. To enable this with either an exception or access to PI should not be in doubt.

Indemnity insurance should be available for midwives so that women who choose this model of care can access it as they would any other health service. Considering that such a small percentage do access private midwifery care you would think it would not be of concern to obstetric authorities. I suspect maybe they know just how many women would use the gold standard of care if it were more accessible. At the end of the day obstetrics is a money making business. The control factor is to keep the funds in their pockets it's not about the health of women.

This is insanity and puts many mothers and babies lives in d anger

Welcoming a newborn in a warm loving environment is the ultimate start in life! Do not jeopardize this by stopping midwives to attend.....

After attending the home births of my two grand daughters I feel strongly about this issue. My daughter received amazing professional care from her midwives at the birth as well as excellent pre and post natal care. So important to support midwives and make it possible for them to obtain insurance.

If more births were at home think of all the hospital beds that would be freed for genuinely sick people - pregnancy is not an illness !

Pregnant women need to have a choice. Hospital births are not always the best choice. Professional Independant Midwives have to have cover.

Freedom of choice. It's time women were empowered to take back birthing choices. Birth is a natural process that should be honoured and treated as such.

Lets protect midwives and stop forcing all to give birth in hospitals

Let the private midwives get PI insurance.

It's ridiculous that we have to fight for this in 2016!!!!

I'm so for this!!! Home birthing needs to become the 'normal' way

women are entitled to birth where, how and with whatever support they feel comfortable with. Don't take women's rights away in their own labour

I 100%support midwifes for home births