Midwifery-related political activities by the
California Association of Ob-Gyns
-- March 7th, 2001 letter members
Reader Reference : second page, 9th on the list of CAOG accomplishments:
"From 1981 to the present CAOG has lead the way to prevent unqualified lay midwives from performing deliveries."
Note the medical-model characterization that renders the act of assisting women during normal childbirth (which is lawful for any person to do) into the medical surgical act of "performing deliveries", as one performs surgery or abortions.
This letter also included a "Licensed Midwife Opinion Form". It starts out with a statement that CAOG is strongly opposed to SB 1479 (removing phys supervision from the LMPA). It asks whether doctors agree /don't agree with that position and asks them to report any midwife-related "bad outcomes". Only 142 doctors responded (the number of their membership is unknown but probably about 2,000 (there are approx. 4,000 OBs practicing in California).