Dear NZ Midwifery Council, just use the words ‘woman’ and mother’, and be done with it.
Stop mucking around with women's language and use the words which are immediately recognisable, instead of strange terminology.
The NZ Midwifery Council has released version 5 of their (mad) revised Scope of Practice, which is open to the public to submit their thoughts on – again.
However, this time the submission process is different, and submitters are asked to answer a series of questions – called a ‘survey’ - devised by the Council, instead of offering our own analysis of the Scope.
It’s not a satisfactory process, and my thoughts are that it’s a way for the Midwifery Council to control the feedback, so they can derive their desired conclusion from the answers as evidence the Scope is workable.
Di and Sarah from Māna Wāhine Kōrero, midwife Deb who organised the Parliamentary Petition against the Scope of Practice, and I, have a chat about the Scope and the traps in the survey. Deb has made notes in a copy of the survey, for guidance on what to look out for in the questions, before making your answers (PDF attached below).
We touch on other related matters, too, including the fact that the Scope of Practice may be the first piece of legislation in New Zealand, if passed, which uses gobbedlygook language for women and mothers. We have policies in the Public Service, City and Town Councils, and other organisations which use gobbedlygook language, both around around men who say they’re women and women, but so far no legislation. Sex self-ID comes close to it, with its use of the words ‘transgender’, ‘non-binary, and ‘gender’, but the Midwifery Council’s revised Scope of Practice uses terminology such as “individuals (however they may identify) who are capable of childbearing” instead of just saying ‘women’. If this latest Scope (PDF attached below) gets passed into legislation, it may open the gate for similarly convoluted language - which does no favours for women and girls - to be used in other legislation.
Your submission on this latest Scope of Practice does count, both for this immediate concern and wider ones. Submissions close 5th May 2025.
Dear NZ Midwifery Council, just use the words 'woman' and 'mother' - it makes the most sense.
The Midwifery Council doesn’t make it easy to find the survey on their website, so here’s the link to it, and Deb’s guidance for the questions below that: Proposal for feedback - Midwifery Scope of Practice. Go to the ‘survey’ link, as highlighted at the bottom of the picture below.
Notes on the questions in the survey for guidance.
Great discussion, I immediately went and wrote my submission, but cursed myself for not taking screenshots as I went as now I have no record of it *DOH
I thought of a great rejoinder to TERF - probably someone else has already thought of it - WERM. Stands for 'Woman Excluding Radical Males'.
Feedback, a word made up for us to feed back what they, the con trollers want to hear.
Often required but rarely utilized, this information gathering scam is a way to show the money providers and other interested parties that the boxes have been ticked.
Often employed in school/parent gatherings to make them feel they are contributing.
You know the drill.... so only go once or twice. Mission accomplished.