Fast Forward!
Last week our bill made huge strides! We have a couple of fun things to share with you but the really big news is last!
First, our sponsor, Rep. Karen Mathiak was featured on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Lawmakers”. Check it out!
Home Birth Days at the Capitol in Full Swing! Every Tues-Thursday! Sign up here.
Thanks for coming!
We had several of you join us this week to call your Representatives to Ropes and enjoyed touring the Capitol as we hunted several down at their offices!
The REALLY BIG NEWS IS
Our bill, HB910 has been assigned to the Regulated Industries Committee, and this week we hoped to have a vote in a subcommittee of that committee, Occupational Licensing. However, the Chairman of the subcommittee, Rep. Ridley, felt that the committee needed more time to understand our bill. This is a frequent occurance since so many people are unfamiliar with the long history of midwifery and out of hospital birth in this state. We are more than happy to educate them.
Subcommittee Hearing on Friday, 2/28/20
We went before Occupational Licensing for a hearing, during which subcommittee members asked us
questions about our bill. Our bill sponsor, Rep. Karen Mathiak did a great job walking them through our new bill in response to the recommended changes made by the GORRC last year, as well as other key governmental offices. We welcome Maria Cranford, CPM, MSM, former Clinical Director of the largest midwifery school in the nation to our team! She did a fantastic presentation on the rigorous clinical training and education pathway that our bill requires for licensure. NACPM Georgia State Chapter’s President, Missi Burgess presented on the thorough care that Certified Professional Midwives provide and fielded questions about our opposition.
We constantly redirect to the point that we are not there to discuss the merits of homebirth or to ask permission for the families of Georgia to make the choice to have out of hospital births. This choice is being made by less than 1% of the Georgia population and they deserve access to the only care provider that is nationally credentialed and exclusively trained to provide this care.
The Opposition Was Unusual This Time!
The Georgia OBGYN Society continues to ignorantly claim that we are “uneducated, untrained lay midwives.” This time, Dr. Adrienne Zertuche presented the continuous persistent untruths that were answered with intelligent questioning from subcommittee members. Members of the legislature were confused why she kept saying we were untrained and uneducated, and questioned whether she arrived late and perhaps missed the thorough presentation on our education and training! Thank you, Representative Ginny Ehrhart for your diligence! Dr. Zertuche also claimed that in order to be “one of these lay midwives” one must only be “18 and attend only 20 births”. Fortunately, she is incorrect. The minimum number of births is more than twice that, and if she had actually read our bill she would see that more than a high school diploma is required. It is interesting that she would oppose increasing the workforce of Georgia maternity care providers since she has presented on Georgia’s maternity care crisis herself!
Interestingly, one of the OBGYN who got up to speak in opposition to our bill could only mention examples of “homebirth gone wrong” that involved women giving birth in the “jungles of Africa” and rare complications among healthy births such as HIE in newborns. He also gestured to the midwives present and commended us on our excellent presentation, stating that we “clearly knew our stuff” and that he would probably let a CPM deliver one of his babies!!!
The Vote Has Been Postponed
The good news is that if you missed our urgent request for emails to the subcomitte, you now have time to send one asking them to please vote yes! Again, we will link their email address below. PLEASE TAKE TIME TO DO THIS ASAP. We do not have a date for the vote yet. Again, the subject line is autofilled for you. Keep your message simple and include your name and address please. “Thank you! Your First Name, Your Last Name, your address.”
These are the representatives to contact this IMMEDIATELY, phone numbers provided for calling in on Monday or Tuesday:
Rep. Alan Powell alanpowell23@hotmail.com 404-463-3793
Rep. Jason Ridley, Chairman jason.ridley@house.ga.gov 404-656-0325
Rep. J. Collins, Vice Chairman j.collins@house.ga.gov 404-657-1803
Rep. Karen Bennett karen.bennett@house.ga.gov 404-656-0202
Rep. Michael Caldwell michael.caldwell@house.ga.gov 404-656-0152
Rep. Kasey Carpenter kasey.carpenter@house.ga.gov 404-657-1803
Rep. Ginny Ehrhart (you can actually thank her for signing our bill already!) ginny.ehrhart@house.ga.gov 404-656-0152
Rep. Lee Hawkins lee.hawkins@house.ga.gov 404-656-7855
Rep, Jeff Jones jeff.jones@house.ga.gov 404-656-0177
Rep. Tom Kirby tom.kirby@house.ga.gov 404-656-0177
Rep. Michael Smith michael.smith@house.ga.gov 404-656-0265
Rep. Dale Washburn dale.washburn@house.ga.gov 404-656-0152
Rep. Rick WIlliams rick.williams@house.ga.gov 404-656-0254
Thank you so much for your time and attention. The task feels insurmountable, but we take heart in knowing that 33 other states have faced the same obstacles and overcome them!