Thursday, January 10, 2008

Guilty as charged

Kneelingwoman has written a diatribe about me. Here's what appears to be the main charge in the indictment, and I must say, I am guilty, guilty, guilty:
The difference between most Midwives and Dr. Amy is that she is only interested in controlling all variables that might lead to the death of the mother or baby and, conveniently for her, she works within a system that rewards that kind of left brain thinking ...
I would have said it a little differently: "My highest priority is controlling all variables that might lead to the death of the mother or baby." You know why? Because that is my ethical and legal obligation and I take it pretty seriously. Perhaps it's part of that "left brain thinking".

Yes, I admit it. I believe absolutely that a live baby is more important than any birth "experience". I believe that any birth that ends with a death is a tragedy of major proportions and I will do everything in my power, draw upon whatever resources I can muster, work for as long and as hard as necessary to save a life. What's more, I am completely willing to sacrifice a birth "experience" even if the risk of death is tiny.

I freely admit that I will accept many unnecessary C-sections to avoid even one preventable death. In contrast, it appears that homebirth midwives are willing to accept the occasional preventable death in order to avoid even one unnecessary C-section.

Kneelingwoman apparently thinks she has insulted me, but actually I take it as a compliment.

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