a change of focus

I've been reconsidering licensure for a while now but hadn't been able to form my feelings into concrete enough thoughts to take a stand. After hearing some amazing women who have been midwives for a long time talking about licensure and certification and how it affects midwives and especially mothers I have decided against seeking certification with NARM or licensure in my state.

I encourage everyone to think critically about licensure and the push to license and certify midwives across the US. I don't believe that it will ensure midwifery care availability to all, I think over time it will end up restricting OOH care for the women who need it most. The state should not be the one who decides who can attend a woman's birth, nor other midwives, licensing boards, other parents or professional organizations. Each woman should be free to choose anyone or no one to be with her as she births (which is, after all, a normal bodily function and not a medical event). The fight for birth choices should not be about midwifery but about mothers. After all, when mothers lose the right to choose (anyone or no one) the rights of midwives are moot.