Friends of the Birth Centre, Canberra

The Friends of the Birth Centre (Canberra) is a maternity advocacy group based in Canberra, Australia, established to improve the maternity services provided to women and their families giving birth in Canberra.

History

The "Friends of the Birth Centre" was established by Ingrid McKenzie and David Vernon in March 2008 under the umbrella of the Australian maternity services advocacy organization Maternity Coalition.

Philosophy and aims

It is the position of FBC that birth is a normal, natural and safe process, and that birth with a known midwife in a comfortable setting offers the best outcomes for mother, baby and family. Further, FBC believe that this model of care is undervalued and undersupplied in Australian maternity services. As a consequence, FBC aims to:

1. Promote and support birth centres and other midwifery-based models of care within the Australian Capital Territory and region;

2. Support women and families to have access to multiple birth options within the ACT and region;

3. Empower women and their partners to trust the woman’s ability to birth and parent;

4. Support midwives and other health practitioners who respect a woman’s childbirth choices;

5. Value and encourage wider community childbirth education;

6. Act as Maternity Coalition consumer representatives and advocates for safe birthing. [ "Birth Right! Journal of the Friends of the Birth Centre," 31 March 2008, p1 ]

Controversy

The "Friends of the Birth Centre" is the main consumer group opposing the closure of the current Birth Centre at "The Canberra Hospital" and the replacing it with a large, non-birth centre-like labour floor. [ "Booking a Birth", Broadcast on ABC "Stateline" 18 July 2008 [http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/act/content/2006/s2309216.htm Transcript] ] [ [http://www.canberraliberals.org.au/html/s02_article/article_view.asp?id=310&nav_top_id=-1&nav_cat_id=-1 "Is the Birth Centre at TCH to be a casualty?" 18 July 2008] ]

References