Let's say you are a pregnant woman living in B.C. in 2003. If you want the costs of your birth covered by the Medical Services Plan of British Columbia, you can have your baby in hospital, attended by a doctor or a registered midwife, or deliver at home, attended by a registered midwife. Should you wish your home birth attended by a birth attendant, a doula, or anyone else - without a physician or midwife present - you're on your own. If you deliver in hospital in B.C., there's a 26 percent chance you'll have a Caesarean; if you are over 35 years of age, that risk increases to 34 percent (based on 2001 data)." - Excerpt from - "A Midwife Under Fire" Shared Vision Magazine - March 2003.
There are a select few midwives who chose not to register with the BC
College of Midwives in 1998 when this regulation came into effect. The
College of Midwives is now pursuing these women in court in order to
revoke their rights to attend birthing mothers, hailing they are dangerous
to the community. They have chosen their first battle against Gloria
Lemay, an experienced, revered, sought after birth attendant, who is
no doubt one of the most experienced in BC (she has attended over 2000
births over the past 25 years.)
Gloria Lemay's appeal to the B.C. Court
of Appeal was denied. She has completely served her sentence and is
now appealing her case to the Supreme Court of Canada. It is uncertain
if the appeal will be accepted and, if accepted, it may take years to
have the case heard.
The Home Birth Assoc of B.C. continues to support this court case because
of its importance to families who wish to birth at home with the caregiver
of their choice. When a leader in the childbirth movement in B.C. is
targetted and prosecuted, it demonstrates that there is a concerted
effort to limit the choices
in childbirth to the medical model.
Pregnant women face an ever-rising Cesarean rate in B.C. hospitals (27.9%
B.C. Vital Stats 2002). We were promised that regulating midwifery would
lead to a kinder, gentler, more natural approach to giving birth. This
has not happened. In the 6 years that we have had regulated midwifery
in this province, the cesarean
rate has increased each and every year. Women expected that midwives
would be able to bring midwifery into the medical system. Sadly, the
medical system has been brought into midwifery.
Since the conviction of Gloria Lemay, our legal choices for homebirth
in B.C. are unassisted childbirth or government paid midwives with rigid
protocols. Doulas, labour coaches and other experienced women have been
threatened with court action by the College of Midwives if they assist
at homebirths. We plan to continue to explore all options for changing
the laws to allow freedom to choose who will assist at birth in private
homes in this province.
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