SOS: Save Home Birth in NY!

(DoulaMomma says:
Passing this along - even if it doesn't impact you personally, please consider making your voice heard as someone who cares about preserving options for all birthing women - if it can happen in NY, it can happen in your state too...pass this info along on your blogs, Facebook etc. too please)

ACTION ALERT:

Save Home Birth in New York

We need your help!

At midnight tomorrow, April 30th, the majority of New York City's home birth midwives will no longer be able to practice legally. Unless immediate action is taken by the Governor and the NYS Department of Health the women that these midwives serve will be denied access to a home birth with their chosen provider and these providers will no longer be able to practice legally in NYS.

YOU MUST ACT NOWto save the home birth option for New York Women:

Call:

• 311
• Wendy Saunders, Executive Deputy Commissioner for the NY State Department of Health, appointed by Governor Paterson. 518-474-8390
• Larry Mokhiber, he Secretary of the Board of Midwifery(518-474-3817, extension 130)

And say....

With the closing of St. Vincent's Hospital, half of the licensed, highly trained home birth midwives serving NYC have lost their Written Practice Agreement (WPA). St Vincent's was the only Hospital in the city supportive of a woman's right to choose a home birth and willing to sign a WPA. In the weeks since it's announced closure, these midwives have reached out to hospitals and obstetricians all across the city looking for support, with no success. Please help us to save the homebirth option in New York.

People can also email the Governor at http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/GovernorContactForm.php.

We are in our final hours! Please forward this email and help us flood 311 and the Governor's office with calls supporting home birth.

And while you're at it, please sign our petitionsupporting the Midwifery Modernization Act which will remove the WPA from the midwifery law effectively removing this barrier to accessing midwifery care.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/midwifery/

See NYSALM's fact sheet about what the Midwifery Modernization Act Means for You.