| Alabama is a "Red State" filled with people who supposedly don't want government all up in our personal business. But, as we've seen time and time again, the state government doesn't mind interfering with womens' lives and personal business. In fact, when you're talking about reproductive choices, interference is generally state policy. It's against the law in Alabama for a midwife to attend a home birth. Certainly, there are cases where the birth requires medical intervention. But the majority of standard, uncomplicated births do not. Even so, women in Alabama aren't free to make their own decisions about what's best for them. According to the Alabama Birth Coalition: ...research consistently confirms the safety of planned out-of-hospital birth attended by a trained midwife, Alabamians do not have that legal option. The state currently recognizes only Certified Nurse Midwives, who are not trained in out-of-hospital care, and are only attending hospital births. Families who desire out-of-hospital birth must travel outside of the state, find a midwife willing to risk prosecution, or give birth unassisted.
Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Shannon Burdeshaw, a retired midwife and the president of the Alabama Midwives Alliance. She described the situation succinctly: A woman can choose to birth at home, she can even hire a midwife. But the midwife is subject to prosecution in Alabama. A family member, even a stranger off the street is protected by the good samaritan law, but a qualified professional in an out of hospital birth is not. This is absurd and unjust.
Learn more about the issue and find out how to help change Alabama's outdated laws on the flip. |