Birth Action Coalition Our Bodies, Our Babies, Our Births

This week’s Independent has a great article about the dwindling birth choices in Santa Barbara. Now that Goleta Valley’s Birth Venter is closed, the only options for local moms are Cottage Hospital, home, or leave town. Darian Bleecher’s article is a great read and you can find it here.

The buzz about birth choices in Santa Barbara has grown audibly louder in recent months. In January, the Central Coast Doula Association sponsored two sold-out screenings of the documentary The Business of Being Born. The Baby! International Film Festival expanded the dialogue in the community over Memorial Weekend with a series of films and expert panels. Dozens of community members rallied for regional access to vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) on June 23. And the labor and delivery unit at Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital closed its doors on July 1.

Read the rest of the article…

Stuart J. Fischbein, MD FACOG, Medical Advisor of the Birth Action Coalition recently wrote to ACOG to express his disappointment in their decision to ask the AMA to lobby Congress to make homebirth illegal. You can read his letter and the resonse from Ralph Hale (published with his permission).

Ralph Hale, MD FACOG, and Executive Vice President of ACOG responded, but evaded many of Stuart’s questions. His response suggests that the decisions being made by ACOG and the AMA are motivated by politics, rather than by what is best for patients or physicians.

I’m a lawyer with the Northwest Women’s Law Center in Seattle.  I’m investigating possible legal responses to bans on vaginal  read more »

We had a fantastic turnout (about 40 people!) and great weather - with some shade for all the babies too. We had banners, balloons and lots of great posters - allowing us to be really visible on all 4 corners of the intersection. We got quite a lot of media coverage (links coming soon!), and the hospital representative came out and said that there "wasn't a ban" (but then pointed the finger at the obstetricians, saying that none of them would do VBACs - which we know is not reality), but at the end of the day there is still effectively a ban to patients - we are not responsible for the hospitals internal politics!

You should also check out some of the great letters to the hospital and ACOG.

Anyway - on with some pictures - you can view them full screen if you like

• Santa Barbara Independent - Families Protest Outside Cottage Hospital
• Santa Barbara Daily Sound - Hospital's Policy Protested (check continuation on page 2)
• Santa Barbara News-Press - Women protest for more birth choices (unfortunately you need to be a subscriber to view) - Letter to editor from Carrie
• Santa Maria Sun - Born free

KEYT Video (also on their site)

June 23rd Rally Highlights Plight of Cesarean Mothers

Santa Barbara, CA, June 23, 2008 – Dozens of parents and concerned community members, supported by the Birth Action Coalition and the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN), will rally outside Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara on June 23rd at 11 a.m. against the hospital’s refusal to allow them a vaginal birth. Women in Santa Barbara County who have previously given birth by cesarean section have been banned since 2003 from choosing a vaginal birth at Cottage Hospital. This policy is part of a growing national trend. The International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) has documented vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) bans at 280 hospitals nationwide. Rally supporters will gather to raise awareness about the VBAC ban and to request that it be reversed.  read more »

On June 23, 2008, from 11am-2pm we are planning a rally outside Cottage Hospital to generate awareness of the VBAC ban in Santa Barbara and to challenge the hospital to change this policy.  read more »

BAC gave out information on our VBAC campaign at the Film Festival, on May 23rd and 24th, 2008. For more information visit www.babyff.com.

The Birth Action Coalition was born in March, 2008 out a group of parents and concerned community members. The Birth Action Coalition believes the birth journey is an essential  read more »