MANA responds to ACNM's letter to Congress

YES! In response to the letter I posted/ranted a bit about a few days ago, we now have a truly awesome response letter, from Geraldine Simkins, the president of MANA* . . . who just so happens to not only be a CNM herself, but an actual member of ACNM as well as MANA.

To wit:

I am a CNM and a member of the ACNM and I say very emphatically- not in my name! I do not support your recent decision to publicly and aggressively oppose the efforts of a broad-based coalition of six national midwifery and consumer organizations seeking federal recognition of the Certified Professional midwife. Your position, to me, is indefensible.

She goes on to rip them a new orifice, based on the following: lack of evidence, differing values, the impact of taking this stand, their disingenuous claims, their lack of vision, how much midwifery matters and how important increased access of care is for all populations, but particularly underserved ones. It's masterfully written, and well worth reading the whole thing. She concludes:

I repeat to you- not in my name. As an ACNM member, I will not comply with your requested action; I will actively oppose it and encourage others to do join me in doing so. Your position on CPMs does not represent what I value, what I hope for, and what I work untold hours to achieve. I have written this letter at the urging of the fourteen members of the MANA Board of Directors. Seven of the Board members are CPMs, four are CNMs, one is a CPM/CNM, one is a CM, and one is a DEM. They represent a true cross-section of the midwives in practice in this nation. We stand for diversity, tolerance, and unity among midwives and within the profession of midwifery. We advocate and work for a midwife for every mother, in every village, city, tribe, and community in this country and across the globe.

The bolding is mine - I think this underscores the fact that this really isn't, or shouldn't be, about CNMs versus CPMs and the turf wars accompanying such territorial squabbles. Thank you for this, MANA, and thank you Geraldine.

*For those who don't know, the Midwives Alliance of North America is the primary organization (with NARM, which functions a bit differently) for all types of midwives. Truly some righteous babes.