Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Investing

Governments Infringe on Women’s Right to Decide Where to Have Their Baby

by October 17, 2023
October 17, 2023
Governments Infringe on Women’s Right to Decide Where to Have Their Baby

Jeffrey A. Singer

Birthing centers have been gaining popularity as alternative venues for labor and delivery. Nurse midwives usually operate them. In some regions of the country, such as rural Alabama, they enable African‐​American women to give birth in culturally familiar places with more compassionate treatment than hospitals. An added benefit of birthing centers in areas like rural Alabama is that mothers in labor often must travel long distances to deliver at a hospital. For instance, about 28 percent of women in Alabama have no hospital within a 30‐​minute drive.

Alas, the state of Alabama has decided to deny these women the ability to exercise their right to choose from whom and how they wish to seek health care services. Alabama announced new regulations threatening to close many of Alabama’s birthing centers effective October 15.

The new regulations require birthing centers to have a physician on call and within a 30‐​minute drive of the center. In a recent New York Times article, Emily Baumgartner and Erin Schaff powerfully profile the roadblocks many state laws and lawmakers in Alabama and elsewhere place in the way of birthing centers.

In some states, such as Kentucky, Certificate of Need (CON) laws block the opening of birthing centers without a commission—often strongly influenced by entrenched incumbents—deciding that there aren’t “enough” places for women to deliver babies and allowing them to exercise their right to have their babies at a proposed new birthing center.

I have written about how CON laws protect incumbents, raise health care costs, and reduce access to health care services. But CON laws are not the only culprit. States also impose onerous licensing requirements on birthing centers that block pregnant women from access.

Women have had babies in their homes since the beginning of recorded history, and in modern times are increasingly opting for home births. Fortunately, they don’t need to obtain a Certificate of Need or meet other state requirements before having their baby at home.

Yet home birthing carries risks. Meanwhile, free‐​standing birthing centers only take low‐​risk patients. The evidence to date suggests that free‐​standing birthing centers are associated with lower pre‐​term delivery rates, higher birth weights, higher breastfeeding rates, and lower rates of Cesarean sections.

In Alabama, as in many states, most board members who impose regulations on free‐​standing birthing centers are appointed by the state medical association or hospital association. As with Certificate of Need commissions, the entrenched incumbents have a vested interest in making it difficult for innovations and entrants to threaten their positions.

In Recovery, a new book from the Cato Institute, Michael F. Cannon writes, “In many ways, U.S. residents are less free to make their own health decisions than residents of other nations.” Erecting obstacles to free‐​standing birthing centers is just one example.

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Avalara Expands Partnership with Oracle NetSuite to Deliver Integrated E-Invoicing Solution  
next post
State Taxes and Debt

You may also like

Social Security Pays Excessive Benefits to the Highest-Income...

February 15, 2024

Cato’s Caleb O. Brown: “Thank You for Listening”

April 22, 2025

New Defending Globalization Content: Globalization and Women and...

January 2, 2025

Some Welcome Trade Facts from White House Economists

March 22, 2024

Could Policymakers Improve Youth Online Safety Without Running...

December 5, 2024

Taiwan Arms Backlog, July 2024 Update

August 5, 2024

Inflation News Is Still Exaggerated by Dubious Shelter...

July 11, 2024

California Forever Project Must Overcome Land-Use Restrictions

September 7, 2023

The New Deal and Recovery, Part 28: A...

April 12, 2023

Social Security’s $4.1 Trillion Hidden Government Deficit

July 2, 2024

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Trump ally stands firm against ‘big, beautiful bill’ despite pressure: ‘It’ll completely backfire’

      June 8, 2025
    • Rubio condemns assassination attempt on Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe

      June 8, 2025
    • Obama WH physician says Biden doc should have performed cognitive test

      June 8, 2025
    • Trump warns of ‘serious consequences’ if Elon Musk funds Democrats

      June 7, 2025
    • Musk jokes about reconsidering stance on Big Beautiful Bill after Schiff’s praise

      June 7, 2025
    • Musk deletes explosive posts about Trump and Epstein files

      June 7, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,152)
    • Investing (2,019)
    • Politics (15,571)
    • Stocks (3,136)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved