AMA clarifies home-birth stance

Re “Babies, the old-fashioned way,” July 9

Ensuring the safety of the mother and baby during childbirth is a physician’s top priority. The American Medical Assn. remains convinced that the safest location for labor and delivery is a hospital or birthing center, where life-saving medical equipment and trained physicians are readily available.

Jennifer Block believes that the AMA’s policy on home births calls for legislation that could be used against women who choose to give birth at home.

To set the record straight: We do not seek to punish women who choose home birth. However, serious complications can arise with little or no warning, even among women with low-risk pregnancies, and hospitals and birthing centers are best equipped to handle those complications.

Home births may be safe for some women, but the health and safety of both mother and child are too important to risk.

Joseph M.

Heyman MD

Board Chair

American Medical Assn.

Chicago