International Cesarean Awareness Network

For a while now, there’s been a big push to legalize CPMs (certified professional midwives) in Illinois, a state with a nasty reputation for persecuting midwives to the utmost extent possible.  The women of ICAN have always had an uneasy relationship with "legalization" and licensure of CPMs….because unless the people pushing for legalization are very careful (and sometimes even when they are), usually the state requires a sacrifice to the gods of the medical association before agreeing to legalization.  The big three sacrificial lambs are VBAC, breech and twins — and sure enough, VBAC moms once again find themselves laid out on that altar, under the bus of licensure, hung out to dry while preserving homebirth for "low risk women".  I think what really stings this time around is that the ICAN chapters in Illinois have been very active in supporting the efforts to get a licensure bill in front of the state legislature, writing letters, raising money and really getting out there for this cause.  And now we find that for our efforts we get a pat on the back, a sympathetic "sorry about that" and a trip back to the surgical suite, since not only are homebirths after cesarean forbidden but we can’t find a hospital to "let us" VBAC even if we want to go back into the lion’s den.  I’m sure the midwives are upset about this and I’m sure they feel like they had no choice.  And maybe they didn’t or maybe they did.  After talking to a few people who know more about Illinois politics than I do, I realize that the situation isn’t simple or even logical…so the story isn’t nearly done, even if it might look like it.  But I’ve got to say, I’m am SO tired of always being the one who gets locked out, when the women I represent need what a CPM can offer more than any other group out there. Still, while the International Cesarean Awareness Network can no longer support The Midwifery Licensure Act (Senate Bill 385, House Bill 385) as it is currently written, we are going to keep very close track of its progress, should it make any.  Keep watching to see what you can do if the opportunity presents itself.