Dreah Louis talks Missouri HB804

For all who don't know me I am the Author of the Blog, "The Midwife From Hell".

I go by the name Dreah Louis. I have been blogging since 2013. I created this blog originally for my twin daughter Akilah. I want her to have a piece of her sister through memories of a fight and struggle. I mentioned in the chapter "Home Birth Disaster" ,(http://dreahlouis.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-midwife-from-hell.htm) how my twin daughter passed away. I have been very active discussing home birth safety and home birth. HB 2189 was very important to me and other families, somehow it was put on hold and pronounced to be brought back to the HOUSE at a later date. Recently, another bill has been introduced to the Missouri House of Representatives, HB804. 

Kathryn Swan House District 147

Rep. Swan is presenting HB804. The home birth community fears this bill because they feel that it will banish home birth all together. Most midwives will not be able to afford to insure themselves and be able to provide cost efficient services for their clients. My advice about these concerns are that you can't birth babies at home without any regulation or accountability. Midwives need to be required to carry malpractice insurance. CPM's can be dangerous to a community of women when education is insufficient and deaths and birth defeats are being swept under the rug by their NARM (North American Registry of Midwives) headquarters. When lawyers won't touch these cases, or authority officials delay on reports of midwife crimes, what are families left to do? What does a family do when there is no foundation for accountability. I will continue to support the idea of midwives being more responsible with home birthing. Midwives are governed by their community. They run and manage their own complaint system and there is no internal affair community to shine lights on the midwives that have violated the law. I still believe in midwifery even though my baby died while in the care of one. I still believe in midwifery because I know it is older than me but today there are way far too many midwives to keep account of. I think that midwives can work with doctors as partners rather than stand alone. Malpractice insurance can protect the midwife while she is standing on her own  without a hospital backing her. Reality is that things do happen, bad things and there is nothing better than being a well equipped midwife birthing babies with great knowledge of the women's reproduction system and knowing the law. Carrying insurance does not make a midwife less of a midwife it makes the midwife more skillful of knowing what a life is really worth if a mistake is made.

Below is a site that answers all your questions regarding midwife insurance coverage.

http://www.midwife.org/Ten-Questions-Midwives-Should-Ask-Professional-Liability-Insurance

Below is contact information for Rep Katryn Swan. Her assistants name is Janet Land and she will support all your inquires regarding HB804.

Missouri Government Site/HB804

http://house.mo.gov/billsummary.aspx?bill=HB804&year=2015&code=R

• CAPITOL OFFICE:

  201 West Capitol Avenue 115-C, Jefferson City, MO 65101

  Phone: 573-751-1443
• Email: Kathryn.Swan@house.mo.gov

Kathryn Swan represents House District 147 in the Missouri House, is a member of five committees, and is the primary sponsor of 144 bills.

Republican — Representative — District 147

Available Terms:

• 2013-2014
• 2015-2016