Who should be allowed to support a woman in labour? In late 2025, RANZCOG and the Australian College of Midwives called for South Australia's "restricted birth practices" legislation to be adopted nationally. The laws aim to prohibit anyone without the appropriate clinical qualifications from attending or "managing" birth.
In this episode, Keshia Tognazzini talks with maternity rights advocate Sally Kusack of Maternity Choices Australia about what this push could mean for doulas, birthkeepers, families, and women who choose to birth outside the system. They discuss how vague legal wording can catch a doula offering emotional support, or even a woman's own mother and aunties. They also cover the recent wave of media coverage on freebirth, the impact of the Birth Trauma Inquiry, and the climate of fear among birth workers.
Sally also shares the three things she believes every pregnant woman should understand: her rights, the physiology of birth, and the system she's birthing within.
In this episode
- Media coverage of freebirth and birthkeepers through 2024–2025, including the Guardian series and Sydney Morning Herald reporting
- The RANZCOG and ACM position statement calling for national "harmonisation" of South Australia's legislation
- Why the South Australian law was drafted, and how broad terms like "management of birth" can apply to almost anyone
- The story of a South Australian doula who faced two years of investigation after a hospital birth with no poor outcome
- When and why the state becomes involved after poor outcomes, including coronial inquests
- The many reasons women choose to birth outside the system, and the risks they take on
- Reports of child protection threats used to pressure women into accepting interventions such as induction
- The Birth Trauma Inquiry, and why the response has been regulation rather than reform
- How to stay informed and act quickly when consultation windows open
- Marjorie Tew's research on whether hospital birth is actually safer for healthy women
- The Luddites, and why questioning new technology isn't the same as rejecting it
- The evidence and debate around CTG monitoring
- The BRAIN acronym for informed decision-making, which works even mid-labour
- Why a labouring woman needs to feel private, safe, and unobserved, and practical tips like using an eye mask during transfer
You can find Sally at Maternity Choices Australia and PBB Media podcast and on IG
Here's the blog entry in response to the RANZCOG/ACM joint position statement: https://www.maternitychoices.org.au/post/maternity-advocacy-groups-around-the-country-rally-together-to-protect-women-s-rights-in-birth
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