HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0104.003 2022-2024I
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Tara Compehos, LM, CPM, LMT
rootsremedieshawaii(@gmail.com
PO BOX 635
Pahala, HI 96777
808.450.0498
c-
February 16, 2023
1,1 y.r�
Hawaii County Council j"
25 Aupuni St.
Hilo, HI 96720
Dear Council Members,
As a Hawai'i Island resident and licensed midwife, I invite you to join me in supporting HB955. I
am the only licensed midwife in the large, rural, remote district of Ka'u. I am also a founding
member of Ka'u Women's Health Collective and the CEO of SHINE Sisterhood Initiative. I
served as the Vice Chair for the Hawaii Homebirth Task Force. I would be more than happy to
answer any questions you have about this bill.
The main point which is especially important for our island is access. In Ka'u it takes an average
of two hours to get to a hospital with a labor and delivery ward. Many women in Ka'u have
shared stories with me of giving birth in their car, an ambulance, or in the hospital parking lot. As
you know, many Big Island areas have unpaved roads and areas which become impassable
with certain weather conditions.
Midwifery offers a practical and safe option for mothers in remote areas like Ka'u who cannot or
choose not to give birth in a hospital. In order to ensure access to safe, culturally competent and
affordable midwifery care for all birthing people, I believe we should protect all types of midwives
and be inclusive in our licensing requirements. The exemption for traditional midwives in HB955
does the former and the inclusion of the PEP certification process does the latter.
In conclusion, I would like to clarify that the central issue at the heart of this bill is not, "Which is
the best way to give birth?"It is "Who is entitled to make decisions about how an individual
gives birth?"
"My body, my choice" is a phrase that is being used a lot these days. And I absolutely agree with
that. I strongly believe that each and every one of us should have a sovereign choice about our
bodies. Birth is an embodied experience. All the options should be available. The person giving
birth is the one who should decide if they want to do it at a hospital, with a licensed midwife, with
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a traditional midwife or something else. Those choices should not be limited, regulated or
manipulated by the state or anybody else.
Act 32 takes some of those choices away and HB955 restores them. If there's one thing we all
know about Big Island residents it's that we are fiercely independent people who are passionate
about freedom of choice.
Thank you for hearing HB955. Again, I am available to clarify or answer questions regarding this
important issue.
Tara Compehos, LM, CPM, LMT