If you are looking for an inspiring little birth activism project for your area, I have an idea for you. Join hands with other women in your area and form a "VBAC Coalition." According to ICAN, over 3,000 hospitals across the United States have instituted facility-wide bans on Vaginal Birth After Cesarean. In our town, women are being told that they must have a repeat cesarean regardless of their present health status and regardless of the reason for their previous cesarean. We know that these bans are not only un-supportable by good evidence, but they are also a basic violation of a woman's Patient Rights and Human Rights.
If you would like to take on the hospitals, here's a place to start. Check back on birthactivist.com for further steps and updates as we go through this process.
Step 1: Form a coalition. Gather together with a small group of women representing your local birth network, ICAN chapter, La Leche League Chapter, as well as individual women who have been affected by the VBAC Ban (or who just care deeply, even if they've never had a C-Section)
Our coalition consists of a chapter leader of BirthNetwork, a mom who has had one previous cesarean, a mom who demanded for herself a successful VBAC despite the ban, a mom who had an "HBAC" or Home Birth After Cesarean because of the ban, and a Certified Nurse-Midwife who is our resident "safety and statistics expert." We met together today to discuss our plan of action to pressure our local hospitals to reverse the ban.
Stay tuned for step 2! "
