Midwives across the nation are being harassed, arrested, and charged with crimes. North Carolina midwife, Rowan Bailey, spent 297 days in jail without sunlight or nutritious food.  The state of North Carolina continues to postpone her trial, leaving Rowan on house arrest awaiting the trial date.   

Rowan's birth families and Families for Birth Freedom, are asking for your support!  We need to raise $5,500 by January 1, 2015. Rowan's bond was drastically reduced at the time of the most recent postponement and was posted in the form of a property bond by an anonymous donor which led to her release from jail on October 6, 2014.  Rowan is under strict house arrest and is only allowed to work Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 AM to 1 PM and is only allowed to clean houses for that work.  Due to these restrictions, Rowan has only been able to work five days in the past month.  The limitations put in place for her house arrest bring forth challenges for Rowan to support herself fully with only this work.    

We are asking for $5,500 in order to help Rowan provide means for neccessities such as car maintence to ensure safe transportation and heating oil to provide warmth for her home as winter approaches.  In addition, the funds raised will assist Rowan in acquiring the necessary equipment and services to secure a work from home job.  By donating even a small amount we can come together and help provide financial support for a short time while Rowan regains her financial footing.

Here are the details:

The Rowan Bailey case has been postponed once again and has not gone to trial.  The next trial date is Febuary or March 2015.

Therefore, Families for Birth Freedom and supporters of Rowan Bailey- and midwives and birthing families- are reaching out to you for help. We are very grateful that Rowan has recieved so much support during her incarceration in the form of letters, books, commissary and visits.  We are also relieved she has been released to house arrest where she can see outside, get fresh air and nourish herself with good food and love from her families and friends. In order for this to remain true we need to come together once again as a community and support her being able to maintain her well-being and freedom.   

If we all come together, we can raise enough money to keep Rowan free and get her back on her feet. House arrest will not be easy, especially since the state has put more restrictions on Rowan's freedom there as well. However, now that Rowan is at home, she has the support and assistance from her local community and the birth community at large, to help her regain her health and to assist her with daily needs. There is already a plan in place for getting her work from home, and her birth families have expressed their intentions to visit her and bring her necessary items, help with chores, and run errands if needed.

We have a plan, now we need the necessary funds to implement it. Please make your donation today!

Rowan's case came at a time when important organizations, such as Human Rights for Childbirth,  were in the beginning stages.  This case is an excellent example of the inequalities that midwives and birthing families experience when navigating the maternity care system and legal systems which tip in favor of the medical system, hospital policy, and physicians- who face NO criminal charges when they attend births with less than optimal outcomes.  Your help in getting this case resolved is necessary and greatly appreciated!

Thank you to everyone who has already donated in the past.  Your help made the first month at home possible so Rowan could really see what her needs would be moving forward and how she needs to create work for herself. 

Many Thanks and Blessings,

Families for Birth Freedom

Case History:

Wednesday, March 27, 2013, a friend, teacher, mentor, and fellow midwife, Rowan Bailey, as she is known and loved was arrested for murder in Asheville, NC. North Carolina prohibits the practice of midwifery by traditional community midwives and CPM's. 

Pregnancy and birth are the most natural processes in the human experience.  This process has been supported, facilitated and protected since the dawn of time by the midwife.  Today, in the United States, over 98 percent of all births occur in a hospital setting; a medical facility.  Just under 2% of births occur out of the hospital, and approximately 1% of births occur at home with a midwife.  Are we really going to allow birth to be fully owned and operated by medical practitioners and surgeons? We inherently have rights to choose who, where, and how we birth. 

• The United States ranks 34th in the world in infant mortality.  Babies die in the hospital all the time.  These numbers are unacceptable, yet persist despite the amount of dollars the U.S. spends on birth technology and interventions.
• Midwives provide a choice in birth for families who want less medical intervention, and who want to preserve the spirit of birth. 

The way we birth is a HUMAN RIGHTS issue and we must embrace it with compassion, love, and responsibility. 

To learn more about Birth as a Human Rights Issue, please go to www.humanrightsinchildbirth.com

Midwife Needs Your Support Now!

• Rowan Bailey, arrested for MURDER, remains in jail.
• The law under which she was arrested is http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H215v1.pdf
• Your funds will go directly to pay for Rowan's release from jail, pay an outstanding balance to HRiC attorney who provided counsel and support to Rowan's attorneys preparing them for trial, and to help Rowan get back on her feet.

Where will it stop?

If we allow one midwife to be tried and convicted for murder, where will it stop?

• Murder is the intentional loss of life; acting in order to destroy life.
• Midwives, the keepers of the sacred in birth, are called to protect the rights of mothers and babies.
• Women and families are responsible for choosing their birth attendants and their place of birth.
• If we allow our freedoms in birth to be taken away, what freedom is next?

 Get Involved

• Please send this campaign out to your communities, your families, and your midwives.
• Please send thoughts and prayers to all midwives who are in service to families around the world.

Thank You!