Florida "Midwives" Released - Take 2

Court taps new judge for midwife case.

(follow-up to: Florida "Midwives" Released, Florida "Midwives" Released Not So Fast)

UK to end separation of detained mothers, babies

Separation of detained mothers from breastfed babies to stop:

Immigration officials are to be ordered to stop separating breastfeeding mothers from their babies in the drive to deport failed asylum seekers after the government was told that the practice flouts UN conventions.

In August, Guardian Unlimited revealed that in at least two cases earlier this year mothers had been detained in immigration and removal centres away from their pre-weaned children.

Happy Reformation Day

Dr. George Grant gives us a short history of Luther and the origins of the reformation.

So I know it's too late now, but if you are as fascinated as I am by the idea of having a Reformation Day Fair/"Faire", you can start planning now for next year. Other ideas for celebrating the holiday are here and here and here. My favorite: crumbled oreos + gummy worms = diet of worms. Cute!

Midwifery Update - New York

Two CNMs in New York state will be closing their practice due to the lack of a collaborating physician.

Two area midwives face expiring agreement

Blog Carnival Roundup

Blawg Review is hosting both the cleverly put-together Blawg Review #80 and the Carnival of the Capitalists #159 this week. Yours truly gets called upon by Prof. Kingsfield.

The Complementary and Alternative Medicine Law blog links to me this week, as well. I've been keeping an eye on this blog for a while; it started out slowly but has become quite a good resource.

Today my kids wanted me to buy a pumpkin, and I said we could get one to decorate for Thanksgiving with, and then make it into a pumpkin pie later. Honestly, I had no idea what to do with pumpkin that doesn't come in a can, but the folks at this week's Carnival of the Recipies do.

Enjoy!

Homeschooling Laws in Germany

Trying to homeschool in Germany is a blog monitoring the persecution of homeschooling parents in that country. Don't miss A short history of compulsory schooling in Germany. Apparently, it's Luther's fault, not Hitler's.

WorldNetDaily covers German homeschooling, too.

HT: Spunky Homeschool

My husband would like me to take this opportunity to remind everyone that Tuesday, the day before All Saint's Day, is Reformation Day - the anniversary of Martin Luther's (supposedly) nailing the 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg in 1517.

"Le 'Big Breastfeed' Demonstration"

Europeans are always saying how prudish we Americans are when it comes to breastfeeding in public - but apparently they have problems of their own:

French mothers challenge taboo at 'Big Breastfeed' demo

Florida "Midwives" Released Not So Fast

Now this one is getting interesting:

Midwifery judge defies bail order

If Linda McGlade, 54, and her daughter-in-law, Tanya McGlade, 27, were released from prison, the local court cannot guarantee it could keep them from other "underground births," Circuit Judge Edward Nicholas wrote on his denial to grant the release.

States Target Raw-Milk Farmers

Michigan cracks down on unpasturized milk co-ops:

The Family Farms Co-op thought it had dealt with the Michigan prohibition against retailing raw milk, which is similar to prohibitions in many other states, four years ago, when it set up the co-op. Under the arrangement, the co-op leases cows from the dairy farm and then sells shares in the herd to co-op members, each of whom pays $20 a year for their share. The co-op members purchase milk for $6.50 a gallon, which goes back to the dairy farmer in the form of a boarding fee for the cows.

"It has to be this way, because it's illegal to sell raw milk retail" in Michigan, says Hebron. Michigan law allows for people who own and board dairy cows to consume their milk, though.

After I listened to Hebron tell his story about the state police and agriculture inspectors refusing to let him make a call home after confiscating thousands of dollars worth of fresh farm products from his truck, and then serving a search warrant on his wife and rummaging through the farm family's home, I asked him, "Could you believe this was happening in the United States?"

"No," he said. "I have a customer in Chicago who says he's from Russia. He thinks this is worse than what happens in Russia."

Link: States Target Raw-Milk Farmers

Florida "Midwives" Released

Linda McGlade and Tanya McGlade, the two Florida women convicted of practicing midwifery without a license, were ordered to be released from prison this week pending their appeal.

Midwife Buries Placenta, Loses Job

Can you believe I have a goggle news alert set up for "placenta?". Occasionally it even turns up articles not relating to Tom Cruise.

From the New York Law Journal, Baldwin Midwife Wages Legal Battle to Upend Suspension of Privileges:

A Baldwin midwife is waging a legal battle for restoration of her privileges at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow that were suspended after she removed a placenta from the hospital to bury it in her garden.

Jeanette Breen, 60, who has been delivering babies at the medical center since the early 1990s, was suspended on Nov. 9, 2005, shortly after she left the hospital with the placenta.

The patient gave Ms. Breen, who is a registered nurse and a licensed midwife, permission to take the placenta. However, Ms. Breen did not seek prior authorization from the medical center, which claims that she violated the hospital's policy and state law for the disposal of regulated medical wastes.

Many patients of midwives view placentas as natural products of conception that should be given a proper burial instead of being discarded as medical waste.

The article then goes on to state New York law on the issue:

The hospital contends that Ms. Breen's removal of the placenta violated the state Public Health Law, which prohibits the improper disposal of medical waste. According to Section 1389-aa, that includes any "tissue, organs and body parts," except teeth and contiguous bone and gums, removed during surgery or other medical procedures.

Ms. Breen's lawyer notes that the law does not specifically mention placentas. Moreover, he argues that her actions fall under an exception that allows patients to retain body parts removed during surgery if they have a religious reason for doing so. Mr. Reiser said that his client had a "cultural" justification for removing the placenta from the hospital.

The article notes that the hospital had an unofficial policy of allowing patients to take home their placentas when they make a personal request.

Previous Placenta Posts:
Placentas in the News
Placenta Found At Wellesley College
Update: Placenta Found At Wellesley College

Update: ACLU v. Toys "R" Us

From The Imperfect Parent, Toys "R" Us has issued an official response.

However, via the Gothamist, Tracy Connor of the New York Daily News tests the response of New Yorkers to nursing in public:

In the back of an aisle at [Toys "R" Us'] Bay Parkway, Brooklyn, store, I feed my child quietly for five minutes - until a worker spots me.

"Excuse me, ma'am," she bellows. "We have a room where you can do that."

I explain that I had checked out the "mother's room" and found the sofa dirty, but she's undeterred.

"It's not good in the open like this...for the other people who can see," she presses.

When I remind her that I can legally breast-feed wherever I want, she changes her tune. "I just think you would be more comfortable," she says. "If you're comfortable here, that's fine."

Moments later, another clerk sees us and says, "Oh Lord!" She scurries off, perhaps to speak to a manager, and I brace for a new confrontation. But when she returns it's with the offer of a chair to use in the aisle and when I refuse it, she leaves us in peace.

Best place in The City to NIP? The extrememly posh "Le Cirque":

General manager Benito Sevarin tells me I'm hardly the first woman to breast-feed over four-star cuisine.

"In fact, a few days ago we had a woman - a very famous woman, I won't tell you her name - nursing her baby," he says. "There's nothing wrong with it."

Quite fashionable all 'round.

(follow-up to: ACLU Goes After Toys "R" Us)

Midwives Get Hospital Privileges in Ontario

Ross Memorial in Ontario, Canada, has given delivery privileges to five midwives. Though the article doesn't specify, it is clear that these are direct-entry midwives, not CNMs:

Ms [Sam] Ball [administrator of Kawartha Community Midwives] says Ontario was the first province to regulate midwives and consider them part of the medical system. The services of a midwife have been covered by OHIP since 1994.

She says midwives are able to do clinical care and order blood work and ultrasounds.

There are more and more midwives coming into the system, says Ms Ball. Every year, 50 new midwives enter the field, she says. Despite the growing numbers, Kawartha Community Midwives have to turn about 40 women away.

I also learned that the College of Midwives of Ontario, which is solely responsible for regulating midwifery in that Provence, requires all registered midwives to attend both hospital and home deliveries. (pdf).

link: Midwives ready to deliver at Ross Memorial Hospital