This might also be a problem for women who did what I did. I took my homebirth midwife into to hospital with me, along with my homebirth doctor for two my children's births. I wasn't a ideal candidate for a home birth and the third option meant that I had people I knew, who shared the same philosophy about child birth attend me, while being in hospital.

Penalising the home birth midwives in this way, might mean the women who want this third option will also miss out.

While the author is stating that the new legislation makes home birthing illegal, that is not the case. What is happenning is that the mid wife's right to access insurance and indemnity is being withdrawn.

If the patient is prepared to sign an indemnification for the midwife, this insurance is no longer required, and the home birth can go ahead.

Insurance and indemnification is for when things go wrong. And while the literature indicates that home births are just as safe for 90% of births, it can also be said that for difficult births it is not.

If there are complications at home, there are no facilities to handle it and the outcome is often much worse.

Car insurance is invalid if you break the road rules, because you have deliberately increased the chances of a negative outcome.

I am sure some insurance company will provide the requisite insurance for a premium.

Personally, I am amazed by this debate over rights to homebirth etc.. We hear so much about the rights of the mother to a wonderful birthing moment but so little about the children that must live with the consequences of the birthing moment for the rest of their lives. What must be held at all times paramount is the future health of the child. The mother's experience during her hours in labour is, in reality, trivial in comparison to this. My wife is an obstetrics registrar and has a medical degree from Europe. She will tell you that the difference between homebirth in the Netherlands and homebirth here is that, in the Netherlands, you are never more than 10 minutes away from a hospital.

Even apparently normal births can go wrong and can give problems that midwives working in homes are simply not trained and/or equipped to handle. The risk may be small for many but the consequences for the child (and the mother) can be devastating. Women - don't prioritise the value of your birthing moment above the health of your child. It is incredibly selfish to do so!

Childbirth was a very dangerous time for Women for most of our history. Modern health care hospital births is what has made this risky event far less risky, the mentality that drives people to home birth, seems to me as the same one that drives some people views on vaccines. I'm sorry but I think Midwives should be given the protection and status they deserved. I don't see why we the public should pay for risky choices by fringe groups. The author has not augured her case very well; in a democracy minority views should be heard but not always acted on.

"Dr Hilary Joyce, the new president of the National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, dismissed the significance of this ban"

and later...

"Such a paternalistic provision,"

Look on the bright side. You girls have evidently reached equality with us men. Evidently we can both be paternalistic.

The original article states

"that for uncomplicated pregnancies, home births carried out with proper support are just as safe as hospital births."

The problem with this is that you do not find out until it is too late that there are complications.

What is the point of having a homebirth midwife at a hospital?

It is societies responsibility to protect women and their children from dangerous irrational practices. THE PRACTICE SHOULD BE BANNED.