From Ima Notkidding’s Powerful Testimony in Support of California’s Beginning of Life Option Act:

“She never wanted to live like that.“

“I’ll never forget what one of her doctors from one of those really horrible countries said to my sister, ‘It’s like you want what the women in my country already have, this ‘medical care’ that isn’t really medical care at all. How very strange.’ It IS really strange. We just want to not have what a lot of women in way poorer nations already don’t have and here we have to fight to not have it! …Fortunately, Choices & Compassion has been there for me and together we got my representative, Joe King, to sponsor a bill here in California that gives pregnant women the right to prescriptions that will hasten their births. To use when WE know it’s time. Just the knowledge that I’ve got the drugs should I want them gives me incredible peace of mind. And just the knowledge that he has no liability, no matter the outcome of my using his prescription to hasten my birth which no medical provider was required to attend, gives my doctor even more peace of mind.”

As of today, April 1, 2017, Tales From the Crip is proud to announce its full opposition to opposition to so-called “physician-assisted birth” that gives a woman who is suffering from pregnancy the right to birth naturally and when she is ready.

• We believe that physicians should be legally permitted to prescribe medication that will be self-administered to induce labor when a woman has been diagnosed as being within 6 months of birthing.
• We feel SUPER about a law that does not state that a prescribing doctor — or any medical personnel — attend a woman who has self-administered their prescribed drug to hasten birth.
• We feel super-DUPER about a law that shields prescribing physicians from…complicated outcomes of such births by lowering the acceptable practice standard to the “good faith” level. For just this one area of care.

The American Medical Association’s (AMA) position on birth with dignity has recently begun to shift from “WTF?” to “Oh wow, you’re serious,” upon their growing realization that “assistance” and “option”  mean “assistance through writing a prescription followed by the option to walk away.”

Their current position is that of leaning forward on their elbow, chin in hand saying, “Ok, so we’ll be protected from malpractice as long as we say, ‘Ok, I did [INSERT PAINFULLY STUPID THING I DID] — but I was acting in good faith.”

This is of considerable relief to Ima Notkidding, who was recently diagnosed with pregnancy and is expected to birth in six months. She is both terrified and outraged by anti-choicers who would limit her right to hasten her birth:

“I saw what my sister went through when she was diagnosed with pregnancy. She had high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and she was peeing every 16 seconds. She felt like a burden, her medical care was bankrupting her family. All she wanted was for it to be over.  And to have a Snickers bar.  But she couldn’t. They wouldn’t let her birth.  This went on for MONTHS. It was like she was just supposed to wait. And suffer. And pee. Oh my god…by the end, my beautiful, funny sister was this giant piss monster who would use, literally, ANY public bathroom. She never wanted to live like that.

“When she was finally ready to go, they hooked her up to all kind of machines, wires. It was horrible. So unnatural. There were so many beeps she couldn’t even hear when somebody texted her back.  I mean, she could have been at home but she’d heard about pooping during contractions so… I’ll never forget what one of her doctors from one of those really horrible countries said to my sister, ‘It’s like you want what the women in my country already have, this ‘medical care’ that isn’t really medical care at all. How very strange.’

“It IS really strange. We just want to not have what a lot of women in way poorer nations already don’t have and here we have to fight to not have it! Fortunately, Choices & Compassion has been there for me and together we got my representative, Joe King, to sponsor a bill here in California that will give pregnant women the right to prescriptions that will hasten their births. To use when WE know it’s time.

“Just the knowledge that I’ve got the drugs should I want them gives me incredible peace of mind. And just the knowledge that he has no liability, no matter the outcome of my using his prescription to hasten my birth which no medical provider was required to attend, gives my doctor even more peace of mind.”

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What To Expect When You’re Expecting Birth With Dignity

Highlights to Keep in Mind From California’s Beginning of Life Options Act

DIY, DIY, DIY

(p) “Self-administer” means a qualified individual’s affirmative, conscious, and physical act of administering and ingesting the aid-in-birthing drug to bring about her own labor.

Physicians Need Not Be Present to Attend (Your Birth) and Honoring a Woman’s Bond With Her UPS Driver

(b) If the conditions set forth in subdivision (a) are satisfied, the attending physician may deliver the aid-in-dying drug in any of the following ways:

(1) Dispensing the aid-in-dying drug directly, including ancillary medication intended to minimize the qualified individual’s discomfort, if the attending physician meets all of the following criteria:

(2) With the qualified individual’s written consent, contacting a pharmacist, informing the pharmacist of the prescriptions, and delivering the written prescriptions personally, by mail, or electronically to the pharmacist, who may dispense the drug to the qualified individual, the attending physician, or a person expressly designated by the qualified individual and with the designation delivered to the pharmacist in writing or verbally.

(c) Delivery of the dispensed drug to the qualified individual, the attending physician, or a person expressly designated by the qualified individual may be made by personal delivery, or, with a signature required on delivery, by United Parcel Service, United States Postal Service, Federal Express, or by messenger service.

The Must-Have Accessory: A request for an aid-in-birthing drug as authorized by this part shall be in the following form:

REQUEST FOR AN AID-IN-BIRTHING DRUG TO END MY PREGNANCY IN A HUMANE AND DIGNIFIED MANNER

I, ………………………………………………, am an adult of sound mind and a resident of the State of California.

I am suffering from pregnancy which my attending physician has determined will terminate in birth and which has been medically confirmed.

I have been fully informed of my diagnosis and prognosis, the nature of the aid-in-birthing drug to be prescribed and potential associated risks, the expected result, and the feasible alternatives or additional treatment options, including comfort care, epidurals, and other pain control.

I request that my attending physician prescribe an aid-in-birthing drug that will end my pregnancy in a humane and dignified manner if I choose to take it, and I authorize my attending physician to contact any pharmacist about my request.

INITIAL ONE:

………… I have informed one or more members of my family of my decision and taken their opinions into consideration.

………… I have decided not to inform my family of my decision.

………… I have no family to inform of my decision.

I understand that I have the right to withdraw or rescind this request at any time.

I understand the full import of this request and I expect to labor if I take the aid-in-birthing drug to be prescribed. My attending physician has counseled me about the possibility that my birth may not be immediately upon the consumption of the drug.I make this request voluntarily, without reservation, and without being coerced.

Signed:……………………………………….

Dated:……………………………………….