It may not mean anything to you if I just say that HCS/HB 36 is tied up in the Pensions, Veterans Affairs and General Laws committee in the Missouri Senate, so bear with me:
Last month, the Missouri House passed HB 36, which legalizes the practice of midwifery in Missouri. This was a surprise to the medical monopoly lobby, and they've pulled out all stops to block it in the Senate. And, basically, unless it gets voted out of committee TODAY, it's a dead bill.
Here's the scoop: Almost anyone can legally deliver a baby in Missouri. An M.D. can, of course. So can a certified nurse midwife who has a contractual supervisory arrangement with an MD located within 30 miles of where the birth is to take place. The dad can do it. The kid next door can do it. If the mailman isn't busy, he can do it. Hell, if you can train a dog to do it, it's perfectly legal. But if you're a trained midwife who doesn't have a doctor looking over your shoulder (which most refuse to do -- why should they give up their fees?) ... it's a felony for you to deliver a baby.
Silly, isn't it? It's just the kind of anti-woman, anti-choice, monopoly-protectionist crap we've come to expect from government. Check out this Columbia Tribune article from May 4th on the subject:
http://www.columbiatribune.com/2005/May/20050504News004.asp
So: Please call your state senator today, especially if that Senator sits on the Pensions, Veterans Affairs and General Laws committe. Those particular Senators are: Jason Crowell (27th district), Chuck Purgason (33rd), Michael Gibbons (15th), Chris Koster (31st), Luann Ridgeway (17th), Delbert Scott (28th), Pat Dougherty (4th), Chuck Graham (19th), or Harry Kennedy (1st).
But even if your Senator isn't on the committee, give him or her a call, ask him or her to ring the committee's bell and say "send this to the floor," and to vote in favor of it. You can get your Senator's contact info at:
http://www.senate.mo.gov
Note to Federal Elections Commission, Missouri Ethics Commission or other entities which may regard this article as regulated issues advocacy: Bite me. I'll write what I want to write.
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Technorati Tags: News, Politics, Missouri, Midwifery
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