just trust me

I heard a funny bit on public radio this morning, taken from BoingBoing but originally from The Nation - a satirical version of one of those scam emails that greet you each day, asking you to wire funds, calling you "Beloved in Christ".
Here's a little of it (I find it's best to read it with the thick accent of your choice), for the rest, go here:

I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.

... This transactin is 100% safe...

...This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. . After I receive (all your money) I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.

There are some people, and I get this - I do, who just want someone to take the reins and do whatever needs to be done to avert disaster. But by acting out of fear, we give away all power, power that can't be gotten back. This is not unlike when we abdicate all power and responsibility to our care providers in pregnancy and birth. It can be comforting to know they are responsible and we don't have to think too much, but then we are really stuck with the way they want to do it. And their choices, because they are human and have their own pocketbooks to think about, may not always have only our best interests in mind.

People who are saying "no blank check" regarding the economic bailout are asking for external oversight and reform. Perhaps we also need to think this way when it comes to birth. Perhaps putting care providers between a rock and a hard place, between what's best for birthing women and babies versus the economic interests of insurance companies and litigants, is not serving us well. What are we expecting when we ask care providers to police themselves and "do what's right"? Right for whom? Maybe we need outside oversight.

And just maybe we need to stop giving out blank checks.