There’ll be a rally for Martina this Wednesday 13th (see end of update for full details). For those who aren’t following Martina's case on the Births Rights Facebook group, Martina's Notice to Surrender Registration was not accepted by AHPRA. Apparently a suspended midwife can't de-register.
It's hard to imagine why this would be a rule, and a cynical person would point out that Martina's gag order might still be considered in effect if she is still registered. This is a particularly interesting point when considering that, since receiving her Notice, AHPRA has re-opened investigations on previously closed complaints made against Martina (none of which came from her client families). So now she possibly shouldn’t be talking about those cases either. It almost feels like they don’t want her to speak out.
Fortunately Martina feels her Notice is final and in effect immediately, and has begun to share details of the surprise twin birth and the re-opened cases on the Birth Rights Facebook page. Through these posts, we can see how families seeking low-intervention birth are typically treated within the medical world. We can see the frivolous and vexatious nature of some of these complaints. We can see how AHPRA's review of these cases never involve speaking to the birthing family to hear their opinion (because we are apparently not a key stakeholder of our baby's birth).
Of course the threat to our birthing autonomy goes beyond just Martina and the Ten Moons families. Since our last update, the Launceston Birth Center has closed its doors, because it cannot find enough independent midwives to support the center and its many clients. Brisbane's Midwives First practice has likewise closed for similar reasons. Meanwhile, the three consumer advocacy groups on the National Strategic Approach to Maternity Services (NSAMS) advisory board removed their support from the plan, after the government went against consumer preferences and removed midwifery-led continuity of care from the NSAMS plan. The government's decision was presumably led by the AMA's bizarre opinion that obstetric-led care is best – overriding advice from the World Health Organisation and the Cochrane Institute.
They are not listening to us, and are taking away our rights. We need to make more noise!
If you’re in Melbourne, there will be a rally outside AHPRA headquarters (111 Bourke St, cbd), this Wednesday 13th February at 10am - 1pm, to tell AHPRA this is *not how you “protect the public". We would love to see you there, even if just during your lunch break. If you’re not in Melbourne, you can tune in to our livestream on the Birth Rights Facebook page. You can also visit the page right now and share the post that makes you the most angry, if you can pick just one.
Event rally link: https://www.facebook.com/events/240275406860784/?ti=as