(no subject)
midwifery legistlation just passed in Wisconsin, one of the first in the midwest. I am fascinated by the tactics used by the midwives there -- instead of arguing how vital it was to have homebirth midwives and protect them, they argued that midwives were going to attend births anyway and you might as well have a licensing board to sort out the bad from the good. I would normally be resistant to this line of thinking -- I believe that the best systems are voluntary licensure like they have in Oregon, but in the process of getting their law passed, Wisconsin midwives made practicing midwifery without a license a misdemeanor instead of a felony. So, underground midwives who choose not to be licensed are better off than they were before the bill. Sounds like a win/win situation to me.