Should Home Births Be Outlawed?

Image via Birthing the Future.

I came across this post in Crunchy Domestic Goddess about how the AMA wants to outlaw home births. I'm not surprised that the AMA is against home births. I'm aware that most American medical organizations consider home birth a risky option. What is new is that the AMA is actively developing legislation in opposition to home births; rather than just issuing a statement they are trying to make it illegal.

I should admit here that I do not have any experience with home births. I do have a friend who gave birth in her bathtub because her labor escalated too quickly for her to make it to the hospital. I considered a home birth but was worried about my insurance not covering it. Also, I was too chicken.

Still, I rankle at the idea that this choice might be taken away from women. If we had conclusive evidence that home births are dangerous and that the infant and mortality rates were higher for home births that would be one thing. But in a much-sited study published in the British Medical Journal, planned home births were shown to be as safe as hospital births.

Midwives come equipped for emergencies and make it a practice to rush their patients to the hospital at the first indication of complications. Midwives also make it a practice to be very selective about home births; most will not take on high-risk pregnancies outside a birthing center. As in other issues pertaining to women's reproductive health, I believe need to trust women to make the best decisions for ourselves.

Read a statement by the producers of the documentary The Business of Being Born in response to the AMA's resolutions.

Here is an article from the Sacramento Bee about the growing popularity of home births.