Safe and satisfying birth – Charles Pace

A  letter in this newspaper on April 3 surely caught the attention of readers who wish birth to be a safe and satisfying experience for mothers and babies.

Mark Formosa, a consultant obstetrician, refers to an interview he gave Times of Malta in 2011 where he stated that:

“Maltese obstetricians will not apologise for the perceived high rate of medical interventions in childbirth”. The latter were then described as featuring the highest rate of labour induction in Europe.

This situation led to a protest by midwives against the high rate of inductions and caesareans, making it impossible to organise their supportive work for mothers and newborns. They also felt the latter were being deprived of the empowering spontaneity of a natural birth even when it was safe. In his letter, Formosa says that, in 2022, “the time may be opportune to engage the midwifery community and start serious discussion, leaving power and control out of these talks”.

Like others who helped in the campaign for ‘Womb Ecology as a National Priority’, I am one of the many wishing an improvement in the environment in which life starts. The Malta Unborn Child Platform has lobbied politicians and is appealing to...