NO Home Births by Midwives in AZ

cayenne06, MSN, CNM · Feb 13, 2014

Are they blocking home births outright, or direct entry midwifery? Do you have a link to the law?

I hate how homebirth is not integrated into the health care system here in the U.S. It drives me bananas.

RunBabyRN · Feb 13, 2014

Do you have any sources for this? I tried Googling it, but couldn't find anything about this.

The sad thing about this is that it criminalizes something that's not a criminal act! Birth is generally not a medical event! It's so hypocritical how many lawmakers cry about how oppressive this new bill is or that act, but then they start writing laws like this.

GET OUT OF MY UTERUS!! :nono:

I hope it's just awful rumors!!!

SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2014

What bunches my panties is that I could deliver at home by myself and there's not a **** thing they could do about it. That's my choice. But then I ask to have a midwife--a certified professional--attend the birth at home, and suddenly, that's illegal? Really??

But I can deliver at home, without assistance, by myself and it's OK? Weird.

Sam J. · Feb 14, 2014

The state I live in has unfortunately has not only introduced a bill, but managed to get it passed into the senate. This bill would take away the rights of low-risk mothers to choose midwife-assisted births at home. This bill makes me want to slam my head into the wall, because the lawmakers who are sponsoring it were the ones beating the drum about how Obamacare would take away the rights of people to choose their own health care.
Is this a few scared docs trying to block midwives in order to protect their own interests? If this has been tried in your state, what was the outcome?

Are you 'really' that suprised to find the War on Women is alive and well in AZ? Take a good look at that governor- perhaps if she had been born via a midwife, she might have been born with an intact brain? I'll never understand how any woman could possibly join forces with Conservatives. Other that there there are certain groups of physicians behind the scenes that want to limit the scope of midwives, and APNs that are getting 'uppity' by believing they provide valuable medical services, and also should be compensated more fairly for those services.

queenanneslace, ADN, MSN, APRN, CNM · Feb 14, 2014

I thought the AZ laws regarding CPMs/midwives were recently revised. Or is this still in process?

Arizona midwives want regulations overhauled

This news story states that midwives and home birth clients lobbied to change the licensing to "women who have had a Caesarean section or are expecting twins [to] give birth at home with a midwife."

Is there a further development? I thought the home birth advocates got these restrictions lifted. (Though I would not consider some of these circumstances low-risk.)

Sam J. · Feb 14, 2014

[quote=SoldierNurse22;7752063

But I can deliver at home, without assistance, by myself and it's OK? Weird.

If the Republicans have their way, they'll declare that a crime...so don't tell anyone if you've done that.

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Feb 14, 2014

It looks like CNMs would still be allowed to deliver multiples, VBACs, and breech babies, but non-nurse midwives would not.

Sen. Kelli Ward, R-Lake Havasu City and a physician, has introduced legislation banning licensed midwives from overseeing the deliveries of women who have had C-sections. Senate Bill 1157 also would forbid licensed midwives from overseeing the deliveries of women pregnant with multiple babies or whose babies are breach.
The bill has an emergency clause, meaning it would go into effect immediately upon becoming law instead of the standard three months later.
Ward said she has concerns about the safety of allowing higher-risk deliveries at home.
“I’m a pro-life legislator. I see the mom and the baby as two separate entities,” Ward said. “I would love to preserve the choice of the mother for their home birth, but that child also needs to have a choice ... the choice not to die.”
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed the bill Wednesday. It now needs a vote of the full Senate before moving to the House. Because it’s an emergency provision, it requires the support of two-thirds of the House and Senate.
Arizona is one of 27 states to allow midwives to deliver babies. Midwives handle about 1 percent of births in Arizona.
During Wednesday’s committee hearing, Ward said she introduced the bill because of concern from the medical community.
“Infants born at home have more than a three-time risk of dying than infants born in a hospital,” she said.
She said under the bill, certified nurse midwives, who must have a master’s
degree, would still be able to deliver these mothers’ babies. It would just restrict midwives licensed through the Arizona Department of Heath Services.

Sam J. · Feb 14, 2014

How many men in AZ have delivered a baby, Hat? And can you explain why a man is the one to have introduced this legislation, rather than a woman?

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Feb 14, 2014

Dr. Ward is a woman.

Sam J. · Feb 15, 2014

My bad. But in my opinon- that's even worse, yet.

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Feb 15, 2014

It sounds more like a turf battle to me. Non-nurse midwives can still practice if the bill passes, they just wouldn't be able to do certain home births. I'm surprised that a midwife would want to handle a VBAC, breech, or multiple birth as a home birth. Those aren't low-risk situations.

Honestly, I've never been a fan of non-nurse midwives. CNMs have a Masters, national certification, and at least 700 hours of clinical experience. With non-nurse midwives, you really don't know what kind of training they've had, or how much. A movement has started in Massachusetts to regulate non-nurse midwives, partly because of an IUFD caused by malpractice by a non-nurse midwife. If she'd been an OB, she would've gone before the Board of Registration in Medicine. If she'd been a CNM, she would've gone before the Board of Registration in Nursing. But since non-nurse midwives aren't regulated, no one could sanction the midwife in question. I believe she is still practicing.