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

Had 2 home births with 2 amazing midwives . !!!

Women/families should have the right to choose how they birth and feel confident that the midwives that assist them are in turn supported professionally. Each woman should be assessed on a case by case basis to minimise the risk of complications and have appropriate contingency plans if things deteriorate. Which is how any competent health professional practices. Sometimes unfortunate events happen but they also happen in hospitals with all the fail safes in place. We need to remember that pregnancy and birth are not 'health conditons' or 'diseases'. On a personal note I had an amazing homebirth last year and would like that choice next time. I also fear that this could result in more free-birthing by women who would otherwise choose professional.

Womens choice. Human rights.

As a hospital based midwife who had both my kids at home, I strongly believe that all women should be able to give birth where they feel safest and under the care of a properly insured midwife. This will protect both the child bearing woman and the midwife.

women are entitled to choose which care they want from which registered health care provider in whichever location they choose, and midwives need to be free to support those women.

This is vital to allow Australian women the birth choices they are entitled to. Don't force women into institutions where they are subjected to a medical model of birthing that is disempowering and often harmful physically and psychologically.

Birthing, safe choices for every mother

Mothers need freedom to choose, Midwives need support to be able to earn a living from their skilled proffession.

If you just look at the evidence you can see how beneficial home birthing is to women. Women are central to their own care, the choice should be available to them.

Thank you midwives and those who support midwives. Midwives make births safer by being more attentive to birth without nurse shifts throughout the whole birth as well as know the clients throughout the pregnancy and help relieve stress on hospital care by allowing births to happen at home!

3 born at home, hospitals not the place for birthing

it is just a matter of allowing mothers and fathers to have a choice. We need to be able to birth where we are comfortable and feel safe and home provides that...

10 years ago Featured

I am hoping to have a baby in 2017 and am devastated that I won't have the option to have a private midwife to attend my home birth, like I did for two of my other children. It will leave me with little option other than to birth alone at home.

New Zealand

Allowing woman to make choices !

Every woman should be able to choose a midwife that suits their needs and emotions at such a vulnerable time, and there are many midwives that will not be able to afford the insurance.

Pregnant women are not ill. Pregnancy is not a hospital-worthy condition. Economically, healthcare systems are better off with midwives attending women birthing at home. Statistically, morbidity and mortality rates for birthing women and their babies are lower in homebirths than in hospital births. Leave the hospital beds for the sick folk. There are so many reasons birth belongs at home. The only reason it's not the norm, is our cultural tendency to need to control women's bodies.

Please let them get insurance I would really love to have my midwife for my next child as I did for my first.

Private midwife practice is the best efective and efficient for women to give birth. Another advantages, low cost but giving high quality care, avoiding women from unnecessary intervention.

I loved birthing at home. I want others to have access to this natural part of life!