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Political comment: Direct entry midwifery (DEM)

Abstract:

Recently I attended a luncheon at the Auckland Institute of Technology to meet the 20 DEM students - a number of whom had had home births and some of whom had been members of the DEM Task Force (TF). This develoment is the direct result of the work done by this TF and the good fortune to have a visionary Minister of Health, Helen Clark, who had the courage to make the necessary legislative changes. The TF evolved from the "Save the Midwives" (STM), which was formed by home birth women, led by Judy Larkin, to fight the Nurses Amendment Bill, 1983. STM declared its intention to "uphold the rights of parents and to support the midwifery profession". Not only did the Bill "erode" the rights of consumers, it spelled the beginning of the end of midwifery in New Zealand, since it allowed nurses, under medical supervision to carry out and supervise maternity care.

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direct entry midwifery, history of midwifery in New Zealand, midwifery education