Here is a quick summary of recent news about midwives and doulas in the US:
Story about an infant fatality at a homebirth in Massachusetts and the politics surrounding the home vs. hospital debate.
Births with midwives increasing!
Colorado midwifery group going strong with 9000th birth.
Advocates are trying to pass a bill to legalize homebirth in Alabama.
Two midwifery centers in the Washington, DC metropolitan area closing because of financial problems due to the high cost of insurance. Sad.
Spotlight on cool doulas in Albuquerque, NM. This one has a ridiculous intro:
When Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden, God told Eve that she and all women to come would bear their children in pain. It’s too bad Eve didn’t have a doula to help her in labor.
Comments welcome!
Radical Doula 
Hi from the nation’s capitol!
Yes, we have 2 centers that have announced closings, and our consumers & birth professionals are up in arms about it. The Takoma Park Birthing Circle, a consumer rights & education group, has doubled membership in the last 10 days and we’ve held the first consumer meeting to discuss these events.
Our hope is that we’ll be able to stop The Maternity Center, our free standing birth center, from closing by convincing the owner to let a board of consumers take it over and turn it into a non-profit organization. She hasn’t agreed yet, but we’re hopeful that continued pressure and consumer demand will make it happen.
Anyone interested in supporting midwifery options in Maryland & DC should join the Takoma Park Birthing Circle’s listserv for the latest info! Find out how from our website, http://www.takomaparkbirthcircle.org
Thanks!