Midwives Catch Eye of Legislators

http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2011/pdf/HB/0200-0299/HB0207IN.pdf and find out the status of the bill by visiting http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2011/pdf/history/HB/HB0207.xml. Currently, there is no law that governs the practice of midwifery in the state.  Opponents to this legislation say that the government has no right to legislate how women choose to deliver their child.  Proponents of the legislation, such as local midwife, Velma McAllister, say that the bill will help to ensure the “safety of the women who choose to birth at home.”  McAllister offers her professional services as a midwife through her website, VicksburgMidwifery.net. According to the Midwifes Alliance of Mississippi, less than one percent of all births take place in the home, but they believe that this legislation will make the process of home births much safer and in doing so, much more popular. In North America, the increasing trend towards home birth can be see with the growing number of celebrities who have chosen to give birth at home. Cindy Crawford, Demi Moore, Lucy Lawless, Meryl Streep, Lisa Bonet, Carol King, Pamela Anderson, Jade Jagger and Kelly Preston are just a few. We strongly encourage you to learn more about this piece of legislation, and all the other bills before our legislature, by going to the official Mississippi Legislature website at http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/. (Portions of this story were quoted from VicksburgMidwifery.net and Facebook.com)]]]]> ]]>