Earlier today Martina sent AHPRA her Notice to surrender registration as a midwife.
During the three months since her suspension, Martina has had a gag order put on her by two separate agencies – AHPRA prohibited her from talking about the surprise twin case, and the HCC (you remember, the organisation that got involved because a politician tweeted?) prevented her on posting ANYTHING.
Now, after three months with no income, and after confirming that legal action against AHPRA doesnt require her to maintain her registration, she has come to the painful realization that she cannot practice in Australia without the ongoing battle. With her de-registration the gag orders are lifted, and she has shared her powerful resignation letter:
“I have received 9 AHPRA notifications over the last 5 years. None were made by clients, their partners or their family members... to this date, you have not even made contact with the woman who birthed the twins... I no longer want to be affiliated with the current operations of AHPRA, as it does not support clients in exercising their autonomy nor support their registered practitioners.”
You can read the letter in full on the Birth Rights Facebook page.
One of my favourite parts of this letter is the reference to AHPRA's lawyer talking about the rights of unborn children. Because in Australia, the mother's rights *always come before her unborn child/ren. Choosing to birth twins at home is a legal right for every woman in Australia. So we have a homebirth midwife being scrutinised by a panel of people who have never attended a homebirth in their lives, and by a lawyer who doesn’t seem to understand the legal culture surrounding pregnancy and birth.
Today is a miserable day for the families of Melbourne who would choose to birth safely at home. Another midwife gone. We cannot let this be the end of the story. We MUST take our rights back! How?
Join the conversation on our Facebook page. Get involved. Our children need you!
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=608126792976831&id=57938516251766