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Midwife legalization bill stalls… again

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Illinois

Trish Sherman Pfeiffer of Carbondale gave birth to her oldest son in the hospital, where he ended up with an infection.

“So he actually became sick because of the hospital care,” she said.

She decided to have her next child at home, with the assistance of a Certified Professional Midwife — someone with training, but who isn’t a nurse.

“We had a great experience. My second son was born at home, with no complication,” she said. “He’s a happy, thriving four-year-old today.”

In Illinois, that is — and was — illegal. And, says Sherman Pfeiffer, potentially dangerous. She backs legislation to legalize, and regulate the profession.

* About 30 states allow midwives, but a House committee refused to take a vote on the legislation today…

A leader from the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics says Gabel’s bill needs to include provisions that would allow midwives and physicians to collaborate. Midwives say homebirths are a safe option for mothers and babies.

[Rep. Robyn Gabel] says The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists now has a neutral stance on the plan after years of opposition. The state has not issued licenses to midwives since 1963.

* Meanwhile, some bills did advance yesterday…

• Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart Dart spoke in support of a bill sponsored by Rep. Mike Zalewski, D-Riverside, that would accelerate the judicial process for low-level offenders. If a criminal case isn’t resolved in 30 days, the person charged with the crime would be released on his own recognizance. It’s an effort to keep nonviolent offenders out of prison as they await trial and passed without opposition. […]

• Skokie Democrat Lou Lang won early approval for a measure that would allow physicians to prescribe medication to treat heroin addicts without restriction from drug court judges. The bill is a follow-up to a wide-ranging law passed last year intended to curb heroin abuse in the state. The same panel rejected a separate proposal that would have required medical marijuana products to have warning labels about possible side effects.

Dart’s bill is a good idea. People are rotting in county jails for petty offenses because they can’t make bail.

* Other stuff…

* Transgender birth certificate bill advances

* Lawmakers gave initial approval to a bill that would create a new felony offense for buying guns in other states to transport them for sale in Illinois: Republican Rep. Jim Durkin, the GOP’s House leader and sponsor of the bill, says criminals are skirting Illinois’ background check requirements and mandate to have a license to purchase firearms by going to other states. He says his goal is to address rising gang violence in Chicago.

* A proposal to speed up a juvenile suspect’s hearing before a judge is headed to the Illinois House floor: The Juvenile Justice Committee overwhelmingly approved the plan by Evanston Democratic Rep. Robyn Gabel to require a hearing within 24 hours of a juvenile’s arrest — including on weekends and holidays.

* Morrison’s gender bathroom bill sunk to sub-committee: Despite lining up 29 co-sponsors from both Republican and Democrat aisle sides, State Rep. Tom Morrison’s (R-Palatine) proposal to designate bathrooms in public schools to be occupied exclusively by one sex was sent down to subcommittee Tuesday. With committee deadlines looming at the end of this week, that move - without a hearing or considering any testimony - is likely to squelch any legislative effort to deal with an ongoing controversy statewide.

* World Shooting and Recreational Complex reopens to shooters, with limits

* Q-C religious leaders urge end to Illinois budget impasse

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 5, 16 @ 1:46 pm

Comments

I like the sounds of Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s bill … common sense!

Comment by Downstate Dem Tuesday, Apr 5, 16 @ 1:59 pm
I used to work in Juvi court, and who is going to pay to have the necessary attorneys, investigators, staff, etc… to handle mandatory hearings that quickly? Shouldn’t it be up to the defendant to decide how fast or slow things should go? Perhaps require the prosecution to have all evidence and witnesses provide video depositions within 24 hours, and then bar the state from anything after that?

Comment by Name withheld Tuesday, Apr 5, 16 @ 2:03 pm
Frankly, I think all criminal cases should have no evidence beyond what is gathered before charging, not just juvi cases. The state shouldn’t have the right to hold a defendant in jail while they find evidence to hold them. It should be done on the day of arrest, and trials should be limited to ONLY the evidence they had and filed on the day of that arrest.

Comment by Name withheld Tuesday, Apr 5, 16 @ 2:08 pm
=A leader from the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics says Gabel’s bill needs to include provisions that would allow midwives and physicians to collaborate. =

Sounds like the could be throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

Comment by Qui Tam Tuesday, Apr 5, 16 @ 2:43 pm
Illinois HAS midwives — Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs), who are far more thoroughly trained than CPMs — who are allowed to attend home births, although very few do in this state. One of the reasons for this is that the malpractice insurance is catastrophically expensive, since when home births go wrong they go wrong fast and comprehensively. Most ob/gyns and CNMs don’t want to carry the liability, and home deliveries are VERY expensive as a result. CPMs, who are less-trained and don’t have hospital admitting privileges, would likely face even higher premiums.

(Ob/gyn med mal is already quite expensive in Illinois for standard practice — around $100,000 a year in premiums at the median (low around $40k, high over $250k for high-risk obstetrics).)

Comment by Educ Tuesday, Apr 5, 16 @ 3:23 pm
Not that I think reducing gang violence isn’t a worthy goal, but if someone purchases a firearm out of state legally and then brings it back to Illinois, when they would otherwise be denied a firearm purchase, doesn’t that already break a law of some kind? Like the UUW law? That law already covers gang activity. Or is there some situation where that law somehow can’t be applied?

Comment by Name Withheld Tuesday, Apr 5, 16 @ 3:25 pm
Although CNMs exist very few attend home births and a lot of women are stuck without legal care. If you’re outside of Chicago you’re pretty much out of luck. I’ve known people who gave birth unassisted or went over the border to find a midwife. Many consider the CPM the gold standard in midwifery because they are the only provider trained and licensed to provide home care, and the current situation is creating risk that doesn’t exist in the 33 other states that license CPMs or midwives with similar standards.

Comment by Aisha G Tuesday, Apr 5, 16 @ 3:49 pm
==== a lot of women are stuck without legal care

No, they are stuck without legal care for a birth at home. I don’t find it unreasonable to require that a midwife practice under the supervision of a doctor. Home births with a midwife are not as safe as hospital births, but if the state is going to certify someone, they should be overseen by an actual medical doctor.

Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Apr 5, 16 @ 5:22 pm
So home birth moms don’t need or deserve prenatal care or anti-hemorrhage medication? Thanks so much for caring about safety. Half of babies born at home don’t have a provider that’s licensed by the state. Doctors aren’t doing it, and CNMs aren’t doing it. And CPMs are licensed in 33 states. If CPMs were dangerous you’d think some state would have rescinded licensure by now- instead you see rising numbers of home birth nationally and in Illinois, and international studies that recommend home birth with midwives for low risk moms because of the safety and personalized care provided by midwives. This bill adheres to international midwifery standards. The danger is the ineffective legislation that exists right now that treats some one with a national credential as the same as anyone without that experience.

Comment by Aisha G Tuesday, Apr 5, 16 @ 7:36 pm