The power of Birth is underestimated. It is the start of life, the foundation of a family and central to society. At this most transformative time of life we believe all birthing women and people should be treated with dignity and respect and the individuals needs and choices should determine the circumstances in which birth plays out.
Imagine a world where you can choose your osteopath, a private consultant, a massage therapist, a dentist, but not a midwife.
Why have we started this campaign?
Independent midwives offer true choice and support. Not just to the those we directly work with, but all women and birthing people, through offering information, social media information and awareness and the only true alternative to NHS care.
In 2014 legislation was put in place that meant any midwife who wanted to work self employed and outside of the NHS would need indemnity insurance. Although this is available for all private health professionals it has been almost impossible to obtain for midwives. From June 2020 self employed midwives have seen premiums rising to £7500 per birth meaning their services would only be affordable for the minority and would mean many women who would no longer benefit from this type of care. Midwives don’t want this and neither do women.
COVID 19 has increased the need for women to seek midwifery care outside of the NHS, and we want to ensure this is an option available for the majority of women as it is the right pathway for them to achieve the individualised birth experience they want.
For the last 6 years we have worked alongside insurance providers to find products to meet our needs but this is an annual process of change and upheaval.
We think it's time for us to take the power of choice into our own hands- choice that midwives can work outside of the NHS as self employed professionals and to ensure choice is a reality for all women. Independent Midwives are professionals, providing exceptional standards of care and we are going to develop our own indemnity product so that both midwives and women and birthing people never face having to be forced into working in ways that they don't choose or women birthing in ways enforced by others.
The NHS provide excellent care for many women, but they are under great strain and as recent evidence has shown, they are not providing equality of care for all women. The right to choose midwifery care away from the institution and industrialised model of care that is causing harm is something we refuse to have taken away from women.
What are we raising money for?
Alongside the creation of our own insurance product we are going to launch a fund for women in need to access independent midwifery if they cannot afford to pay for it. We are committed to making childbirth choices matter and are standing up for women and birthing people to choose their own care.
Where will your money go?
We need your help. We are a group of dedicated birth activists, supported by the White Ribbon Alliance and we are here to say that your choices matter. We are calling on women and birthing people in the UK and across the world to stand with us and support us in this incredible campaign to free midwives from systemic conformity and to give the power of choice back to birthing people in the UK. White Ribbon Alliance is a registered charity and your money will be given to them. This money will then be used to set up an insurance product and to create an access fund for women and birthing people wishing to have independent midwives to support them. www.whiteribbonalliance.org.uk
White Ribbon Alliance Registered Charity No: 1143376
Take Action Today and help us to ensure that independent midwifery is in the hands of birthing women and people and midwives. We need to build our own indemnity product to ensure that we are here for you when you come to making your birth choices.
How can we contact you?
If you would like more information about this campaign you can have a look at our website www.childbirthchoicesmatter.co.uk or email us on [email protected]