Evidenced Based…it’s now the law.

On March 30 Governer Kaine signed HB 2163, giving final approval to a bill that will set an historic precedent for setting standards for informed choice in maternity care.  Effective July 1, 2009, regulations for Certified Professional Midwives will require that midwives disclose to their clients “evidenced based information” about the risks associated with vbac, breech, and twin deliveries occuring at home or birth centers. Get your reading glasses on everyone, you’re gonna be getting even more stuff to read from your midwife!

Midwives and home birth consumers originally opposed the bill introduced by Delegate Matt Lohr (R), Harrisonburg, because it showed a lack of understanding that the hallmark of midwifery care is already education and informed choice.  Another injustice was that it’s wording implies that only the risks associated with home birth (and not hospital birth) need to be addressed by the Commonwealth as priority issues. Many advocates wondered why women in medical practices aren’t being told of the risks associated, now and for future pregnancies,  with elective repeat cesearean section.  In fact, they aren’t even being given the opportunity to choose between relative risks. (see article on VBAC Bans)

When the midwives asked Delegate Lohr to add the qualifier “evidence based” to the language of the bill, we found ourselves more able to accept the redundant legislation in the hopes that it will not only provide some measure of education and reassurance about the Midwives Model of Care to the medical community but it will also create a legislative model for a standard for informed choice for all other health professionals.

Another great result of this unexpected drama at the General Assembly…a renewal of energy for the midwifery grassroots network in Virginia.  It was pretty amazing to see how quickly we can muster our forces to fight back against any efforts to restrict access to midwifery care in Virginia.  We renewed our connections through the VA Birth PAC listserv and also saw the new technologies of blogs, facebook, and even twitter giving us the much needed connections to all of the people who care about birth.  Perhaps most important, we showed the legislators and the medical community that our community remains a powerful force and that respectful communication and open dialogue will bring the most success in the ongoing struggle to understand how to integrate midwifery care into the existing healthcare system.

Way to go everyone!