Today an open letter, co-signed by 18 of Ten Moon’s currently pregnant clients, was sent to AHPRA, the HCC and to Jill Hennessy MP. The letter powerfully illustrates how Martina's immediate suspension has left these women in limbo:

“AHPRA pretends to have the public’s best interest in mind but how has our interest been considered? WE are the only members of the public directly impacted by having our trusted midwife taken away from us and we have not even been acknowledged by AHPRA. We are missing important antenatal appointments, and some of us who refuse to consider a hospital birth as Plan B, will have no choice but to have unassisted births"

Read the full letter here.

Speaking of open letters, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia received one this week from Homebirth Australia, cosigned by ten Australian birth advocacy groups. Among other things, the letter refers to page 77 of the National Midwifery Guidelines for Consultation and Referral, which states that “the midwife’s continued care does not mean that she or he endorses the woman’s decision to choose a pathway of care that carries increased risk to the woman or her baby”. The letter goes on to say:

“It has become apparent that AHPRA and NMBA do not give sufficient regard to these rights… when investigating reports made against midwives who have continued to provide care to women who have made choices outside the Guidelines.”

You can read the letter in full via Homebirth Australia's change.org petition.

To return focus to Martina, the GoFundMe campaign has currently raised just shy of $20,000, thanks primarily to one very generous donor who wishes to remain anonymous. The donor is a previous Ten Moons client, and helps show how strongly Martina's families stand behind her. $20,000 is a fabulous start, and with your help in donating &/or sharing the campaign, we can reach our goal in providing sufficient funds for Martina's appeal. The link for the campaign is:  www.gofundme.com/manage/help-martina-midwife-push-back

And remember, if you’ve emailed AHPRA and are unhappy with their response to your concerns, you can take the issue further by making a complaint against AHPRA with the National Health Practitioner Ombudsman.