As a culture we have been trained to let the professionals tell us what is best for us. They interpret the data and summarize it for us. We trust that their own bias will not get in the way of that interpretation. We have been led to believe that they will not follow the $$. This idea has been schooled into us. This idea is not serving us well as birthing women.
So it is with midwifery. People want to see the government give authority to midwives so that woman can have woman centered care or birth somewhere besides a hospital. This sounds all well and good until you take it apart.
We have a right to be in our bodies. We didn't need to get any permission from anybody on this planet to get here. We do not have to get permission to remain in our bodies. If a person does not know that they have this as a right or are too weak to claim this right (controlling) people may try to take this away.
Pregnancy and birth happen inside a woman's body that she has a right to be in. Where to give birth is an issue of rights. Not for midwives as a group or profession but for women as pregnant and birthing women."
With rights come responsibilities. If a group of people gives up their responsibility they give up there rights along with it. Responsibility can be a scary thing. It requires us to make decisions and accept the consequences of them.
Control and fear. Have you ever watched George Orwells 1984 or read it? It shows a society where people are kept in constant fear in order that the government can control them. Everything is uncertain and free thought is a crime. Whenever anyone tries to make you afraid it is to gain control of you. To have you turn over that right to your body to them. To give them responsibility for you.
There are certain times in life where we have to give over this right. Before the age of maturity and when we are very sick in some way that we are not able to use the part of the body (brain) that guides in out decisions.
Pregnancy and birth are not sickness. If you give into this thinking what you are saying is that when, as a woman, I am pregnant or giving birth I am sick and unable to make decisions for myself I am giving up my rights to whomever. This has been imposed on women by laws. So what the law is saying is you are sick when you are in the "condition" of being pregnant or giving birth.
Are you getting mad yet. I did 20 some odd years ago. I don't think this was right and so exercised my right with whom I wanted when it was not legal. My body and my brain function just fine while I am pregnant and while I am giving birth. I choose to have people around me that when "in the moment"when I am less than strong my support ,that I have chosen, to have around me will help uphold that right. If in fact I am in danger I choose to let these people who love me make a decision for me.
"Birth is a human rights issue" is something I have seen around recently. It is true. It is. Women this is your issue. As women we have to be understand that in this country at this time you have rights. It is being taken away in other countries and in some it doesn't exist. Do you know that if you do not claim rights in our country that it is assumed that you have waived them. And do you understand that as a group that if we continue to waive out rights at some point they are forgotten?
"I believe there is clearly a privacy issue involved in the right to offer and receive one's choice of services in health care, education, psychology and legal matters." Legal Guidelines for Unlicensed Practitioners. " Dr. Lawrence Wilson.
Use it or lose it. We have to understand as moms and birthing parents that there is not anyone who has the right to make decisions for us unless we give them that privilege. We have the right to choose where and with whom we have our babies. We must use that right in order that we and others do not lose this right. This means on every procedure that is offered to us. We have the right of acceptance and refusal.
Our right to our person is too important to let slip away by slowly letting people we pay to take over our responsibility to choose what we will do with our own body. We have a grassroot movement of women that are not afraid to take the responsibility and birth free of legislation.
A shout out to you women , those that have come before, those yet to come and the men that love ans support them. Let's keep pressing forward.
Agreed.
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