Sally speaks with Alecia Staines, Founder and Director at Maternity Consumer Network about the South Australian legislation that the Australian College of Midwives and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have called to be enacted across the country.  This legislation seeks to prohibit "unlicensed and unregulated persons from undertaking the management of labour and birth"..
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Alecia discusses the issues women face in accessing maternity care in rural and regional areas.  Since the 1990's we've seen a steady closure of maternity services across the country, forcing women to drive hours from their homes to central services.  Naturally this leads to women choosing to birth outside the system.  Some of these women would like to engage a private midwife, but they are so hard to find, especially now with the requirement to have not one but two endorsed midwives at home births.  And is it possible this legislation could be used against the good Samaritan who stops to help a woman birthing before arrival on her way to a centralised service, or a grandmother or aunty helping a woman who has a precipitous labour and decides to stay at home to give birth.  Many questions remain, all due to proposals to further restrict women's access to choice and rights to informed decision making.

Maternity Choices Australia has collaborated with Human Rights in Childbirth International and maternity advocacy groups from around the country to publish the following media release:
https://www.maternitychoices.org.au/post/maternity-advocacy-groups-around-the-country-rally-together-to-protect-women-s-rights-in-birth

Links:
www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au

Produced and presented by Sally Cusack
Guest: Alecia Staines, Maternity Consumer Network

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