Mothers demand end to home birth risk

WOMEN in South Australia are having home births without insurance cover because independent midwives still cannot get liability insurance coverage.

While SA hospitals offer a range of birthing services, women who want to give birth at home risk being without insurance if something goes wrong.

The Maternity Coalition, a national group of mothers formed to lobby governments for more maternity services, has called for government-backed indemnity support for midwives.

National president Justine Caines said it was wrong that the Federal Government had put funding into indemnity for GPs and obstetricians but not midwives. "We think it is outrageous midwives have not been given the same professional respect," she said.

There were 17,446 births in South Australia in 2003 and 47 homebirths here in 2002.

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