Midwifery has been fundamental to all cultures and societies throughout all time. To consider it otherwise is to presume that we could do without air, water or food. That we are even having a discussion as to whether Independent Midwifery should be allowed is an indication of the fearful state our current society is in. Perhaps the word Independent alone has a challenging connotation to society, considering that conformity is the norm.

Birth is (if allowed to be) a normal, natural and healthy experience for a whole family to have. Birth actually represents a 4 fold experience of being born; the birth of a child, a mother, a father and a family. Let us recognise this and support it fully for all of these important and significant human elements.

(co-founder of Fathers-To-Be, father of the first waterbirth in the USA(1980) and author of the Fathers-To-Be Handbook)