Category Archives: Politics

AAP suggests possibility of “ritual nick” in place of FGC

By The Midwife | Published: May 11, 2010

In a controversial new statement, the American Academy o f Pediatrics (AAP) published a new policy statement on female genital cutting which suggested the possibility of doctors being allowed to perform a small, pinprick “ritual nick” in place of the more severe forms of female genital cutting (FGC).  FGC is a fairly common practice among […]

Also posted in Violence Against Women | Leave a comment

A case in point…

By The Midwife | Published: May 4, 2010

…just to illustrate the bind that the homebirth midwives find themselves in at the moment after the closing of St. Vincents hospital and the subsequent loss of their back-up hospital/ written practice agreements (see yesterday’s post): Last night I was working (at the HHC public hospital in Brooklyn where I spend a good deal of […]

Also posted in Complications, Homebirth, Hospitals, Issues, Labor and Birth, Litigation, Midwifery | Leave a comment

Homebirth in NYC needs your help!

By The Midwife | Published: May 3, 2010

St. Vincents hospital was the most homebirth-midwife friendly hospital in Manhattan, and quite possibly in New York City, period.  It was certainly the only hospital in Manhattan which accommodated homebirth and homebirth midwives.  My own midwife delivered her patients there, and she would often comment to me about what a lovely set-up they had at […]

Also posted in Homebirth, Hospitals, Issues, Labor and Birth, Midwifery, News | Leave a comment

Lactivists v. Facebook

By The Midwife | Published: December 31, 2008

It’s snowing here, but here’s a little piece of news that will warm the cockles of your heart.  As we all know, there was a big stink over at Facebook awhile ago when they banned the pictures of nursing mothers, which then led to the formation of the facebook group Hey Facebook, Breastfeeding is Not […]

Also posted in Breastfeeding, News | 1 Comment

Recession relief: midwifery saves money

By The Midwife | Published: December 30, 2008

Let’s face it: the economy sucks right now.  We haven’t yet hit rock bottom, and it’s going to be awhile (probably a long while) before things begin to recover.  In the midst of this harsh financial reality, companies and industries are scrambling to find ways to save money.  Birth activists have been trying for decades […]

Also posted in Birth Centers, Issues, Labor and Birth, Midwifery, Women's Health | 2 Comments

Newsworthy 11/11/08

By The Midwife | Published: November 11, 2008

One week after our historic election of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States, here’s a very interesting article on what his presidency might mean for Women’s Health (of the non-“airquotes” variety), namely improved access to birth control and sex education (i.e. the federal government no longer funding abstinence-only programs), a reversal […]

Also posted in Choice, Complications, Contraception, Education, Feminism, Labor and Birth, Pregnancy, Research, Sex and Sexuality, Women's Health | 4 Comments

New hope for South Dakota

By The Midwife | Published: October 25, 2008

As reported by the Daily Kos, a rigorous new poll shows that Measure 11, South Dakota’s latest attempt to ban abortion, might not pass as easily as everyone originally thought.  South Dakota’s initial attempt to ban abortion in 2006 was defeated by 56% to 44%, mainly because the bill included no exceptions for victims of […]

Also posted in Choice, Feminism, Women's Health | 3 Comments

The AMA joins ACOG in homebirth-bashing

By The Midwife | Published: June 21, 2008

The AMA has recently issued a resolution supporting ACOG’s Statement on Homebirth which agrees that the safest place to have a baby is the hospital, of course, where obstetricians work and get paid.  What’s really awful is that they’re using Ricki Lake’s movie, The Business of Being Born, as a tool to try to pass […]

Also posted in Homebirth, Labor and Birth, Midwifery, News | 1 Comment

ACOG’s Statement on Homebirths

By The Midwife | Published: February 11, 2008

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recently issued a Statement on Homebirth which condemns homebirth and all those who are willing to attend homebirth (aka midwives), concluding that only “…the safest setting for labor, delivery, and the immediate postpartum period is in the hospital, or a birthing center within a hospital complex, that […]

Also posted in Birth Centers, Choice, Homebirth, Hospitals, Labor and Birth | 2 Comments

Barack Obama

By The Midwife | Published: February 4, 2008

I’ve sort of fallen off of the blogging bandwagon, but what’s the point of a blog if you can’t be political with it? So, with that in mind, we now take a break from our regularly scheduled midwifery for this brief political message: I’m voting for Barack Obama I like the fact that he’s run […]

Posted in Politics | 3 Comments