After attending a legislative hearing in Richmond on the licensing of midwives, I was enraged to find that choice is not so easily attained in our state. A bill that would have licensed midwives in Virginia was voted down. Pregnancy and birth is far too personal a life experience to hinder a mother s right to give birth to her child at home. Many birthing women may now be forced to forgo the comfort and safety of the home so that they can literally surrender to the forceful hands and tools of an overzealous physician. It makes no sense to keep a woman from choosing what is right for her.
Midwives give themselves fully to the miraculous being developing within a woman s womb.
They give time, comfort, and heart, forging a special relationship with a birthing mother. Many physicians working out of hospitals choose not to provide this same level of care. The choice of health care is crucial to the well-being of this country as a whole. Let your legislative representatives know how you feel about this issue. Those of us who choose to give birth at home are losing legal options to do so.