The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS,
a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA
The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS,
a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA
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An interactive resource for moms on easy steps they can take to reduce exposure to chemical toxins during pregnancy. Other excellent resources about avoiding toxins during pregnancy These are easy to read and understand and are beautifully presented. |
I stand before you today, willing to accept the "punishment" for "attempting
to practice midwifery without a license". To this I concede. However, you
have given me the opportunity to say something on my own behalf and so
I will say this. The women of New York State demand the services of direct-entry
midwives. They have demonstrated this to the Board of Midwifery, the Board
of Regents and to the court. Direct-entry midwives in New York are trained,
despite the prosecutor’s contention they are not. The North American Registry
of Midwives certification to which direct-entry midwives ascribe, is recognized
as legal in 18 other states. Casa de Nacimiento, where I trained, is a
fully accredited program, where I acquired more clinical hours than the
newly created down state program. If this is not enough, direct-entry midwives
are more than willing and have always been willing to comply with the deficits
as New York sees them, as long as the educational model reflects "true"
direct-entry midwifery. Further, New York generated two reports; the Ad-Hoc
Committee report of 1990 and the Practice Sites report of 1992, which both
suggest New York begin utilizing our services. To conclude, why is New
York not actively pursuing its own Department of Health directives? Why
did the Board of Midwifery fail to submit a report on direct-entry midwifery
that was mandated to be completed by 1993, through the same law I was punished
under? If we don't want direct-entry midwives practicing without a licenses,
why have our pleas for a mechanism to licensure for greater than 15 years
gone unanswered? While some of us continue to chastise the laudable work
of direct-entry midwives ( the over-all statistics are over-whelmingly
in our favor), perhaps those same individuals need only look at the fact
that the current maternity care system is failing. The U.S. has a perinatal
mortality/morbidity rate of 26th, falling behind many third world countries.
Isn't it time OBs, CNMs and Direct-entry midwives stopped the turf war
and start putting the needs of mothers, infants and families first! Isn't
it time we stop wasting tax money to prosecute otherwise law abiding citizens
and use that money to create educational standards for direct-entry midwives.
After all, you've been trying since the inquisition to get rid of us and
we're still here!
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