Midwives for Choice

X-posted for convenience.

So, pharmacists can now refuse to fill prescriptions for contraception and the Morning After Pill if their moral conscience so dictates, and four states have now passed laws upholding this lunacy (and 12 more states are thinking about it.) Meanwhile, other states like IL and AZ have passed recent legislation stipulating that pharmacists MUST fill all prescriptions, regardless of their beliefs (and several pro-life organizations in those states are appealing this legislation even as I type this). The same debate, taken to a new level, fought on different turf.

Some pharmacists have even gone so far as to lecture the poor woman trying to get her prescription filled, or refused to give the prescription back to the woman so that she could get it filled elsewhere (especially cruel if the woman was trying to get the Morning After Pill and therefore missed the 72 hour deadline).

Here are some links for you:
Pharmacists' Rights at Front Of New Debate (washingtonpost.com)

Ariz. Gov. Nixes Contraception Refusals

Pharmacists' job is to fill prescriptions --This is a brilliant op-ed that I couldn't agree with more.

I hope it's okay to post this here. Accept my apologies if it is not.

I just wanted to let everyone here know that I started a study group for homebirth midwives and students called hmbirthmidwives (I don't know how to do the fancy links). Midwives and midwifery students are welcome to join, just request a membership. Thanks!

I've decided that the name of this community "midwives_choice" is too limiting. I'd really like to hear about how reproductive health is discussed in all medical and health programs. So, I started meds_for_choice. I have no idea if it will be more active, but feel free to join there too.

Katie

While I don't think that it is fair to force women to learn to perform abortions, the reason I want to be a midwife is the same reason I would like to learn to assist at abortions. I would like to provide women with safe choices in their reproductive health. The number of abortion providers in the United States is constantly shrinking because medical programs do not provide the training for new med students and nursing students to learn the procedure. I did not mean for this post to be a prochoice/antichoice debate, but if you are prochoice you must know that one of the largest problems women are facing in terms of their reproductive health is access to abortion due to lack of providers.

As a midwifery student I don't think it is fair to say that all midwives go into midwifery for the same reason. While I love the idea of caring for women during their pregnancies in a way that empowers them, it is also important to me that they be empowered in all decisions they make about their reproductive health. This includes giving them the option to abort with a sensitive, compassionate health care provider.

Has anyone heard of the Abortion Access Project before? Apparently they set up abortion technique trainings for nursing students. They are specifically looking for nurse-midwifery students who are interested.
http://www.abortionaccess.org/view…

Are there any current or student midwives out there who can speak to their program's discussion of reproductive rights? Is there any discussion of abortion? If so, is it positive, negative, balanced? I'm interested in hearing about both CPM and CNM programs.

Hey. I am applying to the midwifery program at my local university in January for next September. I am pro-choice, and have been thinking a lot lately if there are a lot of pro-choice midwives. Anywas, I am glad to see this community.

This community was created in an effort to allow for a more open dialog about reproductive choice in the midwifery and birth movement. While the purpose of the community is to give pro-choice midwives, midwives-to-be, doulas, and childbirth educators a place to voice their politics and make connections, thoughtful and respectful discussion will be allowed.
Welcome!
Katie