Friends of Midwives please sign this petition

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If Jay Inslee (WA Governor, possible presidential candidate for Democratic party 2020) wants my support he will listen to women starting here:

Please sign this petition wherever you live. Each goalpost triggers a new email flush to the intended parties. Add your voice!

Many states model after Washington's midwifery rules, laws and regulation. Setting this precedent has consequences for midwives in Washington State but may ripple to other states as well.
Out of state/country signatures welcome!

www.change.org/p/jay-inslee-corrective-action-needed-by-the-washington-state-department-of-health?recruiter=926275746&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petitionhere

Thank you! Gracias!

I didn't understand why they were prosecuted. The petition doesn't say what actually happenned.

Iluv There isn't enough information but the position of midwives in the USA is very different to the UK.
Possibly the hospital objected to a midwife working independently and managing a home birth and complained for that reason.
It's also possible that the transfer was not arranged promptly enough in respect of how the labour was progressing or some other aspect of the management of the labour that the hospital disapproved of.

Really doesn't give enough information.

I think the main objection is that a less trained, or less experienced, or possibly less responsible role, practitioner received a higher level of investigation/censure than a higher level person also present, which would seem a bit odd. However, there's so much stuff thrown in it's hard to tell.

And surely, if the hospital thought that the home midwives had been negligent in their care (clearly we have no idea if they were) then it would be mandatory for them to raise those concerns to the authorities.

.Here is what I know of the situation. I don't think it's necessary to know the details of the complication to take a stance here. LMs are highly trained and all follow protocols within their legal scope of practice. (and these can vary based on their MD back-up and local hospital support). Hope this helps

'THE SITUATION

In 2016, I served as the primary midwife for an experienced mother. I wanted to provide the mother the in-home experience she desired, and also wanted to ensure that we were fully supported for the birth. I did the responsible thing, and retained another licensed midwife to serve as an additional birth assistant.

A serious complication arose (though NOT as a result of negligence) and the hospital where I transferred the patient filed a complaint against myself and my birth assistants who were present at the labor. My birth assistants were another licensed midwife (LM) and a registered nurse (RN). While the nursing board quickly dismissed the complaint against the RN, the Washington State Department of Health initiated a formal disciplinary action against the LM, alleging that she engaged in unprofessional conduct when she “failed to intervene, or provide any guidance, advice or comments…”

Though the Department of Health did initiate a proceeding against me (which I intend to fight), that proceeding was of lesser severity than the proceeding it initiated against the LM birth assistant!

PRACTICAL EFFECTS

This aggressive prosecution by the DOH against a birth assistant is believed to be the first time the Department has taken this type of action against a birth assistant working with a licensed midwife. The departments action impacts midwives and birth assistants across Washington State!

The DOH demonstrates a profound lack of understanding of the midwifery standards, culture and practice. It is possible that the DOH is not fully informed or aware of this dangerous precedent, which underscores the need for a separate midwifery Board or Commission at the DOH – one comprised of members who truly understand and support the profession they are regulating. Ideally, this Board or Commission would include a majority of Licensed Midwives.

More importantly, this DOH action creates a profound disincentive to midwives to serve as birth assistants, if assistants will now be disciplined for the supposed mistakes of the lead midwife. Additionally the DOH action creates an unprecedented and unwarranted risk of disciplinary action for service as a birth assistant. Understandably, the facts of this case has already led licensed midwifery providers to consider stopping this long-held practice of assisting at births.

More knowledge in the birth room is a benefit to the family and outcomes. If midwives are unable to secure licensed providers as birth assistants, there can be a risk of decreased safety for those in Washington State desiring an out of hospital birth. Ironically, if not corrected, the results of this DOH action will place the DOH in violation of its own mission and values. The action in this case is beyond the extent in which the health department serves the community.

WHO DOES THIS IMPACT?

Each and Every Member of the Midwifery Profession and their ability to:

• FIND a birth assistant
• SERVE as a birth assistant
• OBTAIN malpractice insurance at a reasonable cost
• BE ASSURED proper autonomy in their own practice
• FACILITATE safe and secure out of hospital births

It also impacts ANY WASHINGTON STATE CITIZEN WHO SHARES THE MISSION OF THE WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO PROTECT AND IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF ALL PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON STATE

THE CULTURE OF MIDWIFERY

Midwifery is an ancient profession with its own culture. Part of this culture is to commonly work together at births. Having two trained care providers at a birth can increase the safety should an unlikely obstetrical emergency occur. In the state of Washington, midwives are autonomous providers. An alternative to hospital based providers who follow hospital protocol, each midwife has independent and unique practice guidelines to guide their decisions and practice. When a midwife is called to assist another, they take a secondary role and defer to the primary midwife’s practice.'

That’s just c&p from the link, so no, not massively helpful. I think it’s very important to understand what you’re agreeing with, and all that waffle does not explain what their point actually is.

So 2 licenced midwives are under disciplinary action for unprofessional conduct following complaint from a hospital they transferred a home birth patient to.

What’s the petition? That a hospital shouldn’t be able to make a complaint about a midwife?

If there were no grounds to the complaint, then it would be dropped and no need for disciplinary action.

I thought I added more content and context. If you don't want to sign the petition, don"t