This petition is endorsed by and in conjunction with the Delaware Friends of Midwives. Access to midwives in Delaware is severely limited. Maternity care is in crisis. Maternal mortality and infant mortality rates are unacceptably high and rising according to Amnesty International. A recent report found that 50 nations rank better than the United States in terms of maternal mortality, yet the US spends twice as much on maternity care. Nations with better maternal and infant mortality rates employ midwives as their primary maternity care providers. A recent study has found that the rate of Cesarean deliveries has risen to 34% of all live births, despite the World Health Organizations recommendation of 5-15%. Amnesty International reports, “New analysis shows that the states reporting higher than average cesarean rates (over 33% of births) had a 21% higher risk of maternal mortality than states with cesarean rates less than 33%.” A 2005 study found that 3.7% of homebirths attended by Certified Professional Midwifes (CPMs) resulted in cesarean deliveries. CPMs are trained and credentialed to offer expert care to women for pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. They provide affordable care that is prevention oriented with particular attention to education and support for the mother. CPM care is proven to be safe and improve breastfeeding success rates. CPMs earn the only nationally recognized midwife certification that requires out-of-hospital birth training. They practice autonomously and consult with other health care providers as needed. However, they are currently not able to obtain licensing in the state of Delaware. In order to be licensed in Delaware, CPMs must be able to establish "a collaborative agreement with a Delaware licensed physician with obstetrical hospital privileges." However, this is not possible as malpractice insurances will not cover CPMs or homebirths. This barrier means that no doctor in Delaware is able to work directly with non-nurse midwifes, and consequently, making it impossible for CPMs to obtain a license for the state of Delaware. Licensing CPMs will increase access to midwives for families who choose to birth in any location they choose. As noted, CPMs can help to drastically reduce cesarean rates and maternal mortality. We therefore ask that the Delaware legislators seek to improve maternity care in Delaware by changing the current Non-Nurse Midwifery regulations to allow CPMs to practice in our state. Our citizens deserve the best start to life possible, and we cannot give them that if we do not allow them access to the best maternity care. RESOURCES: • Johnson & Daviss, BMJ 2005, Outcomes of planned homebirths with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America, http://www.bmj.com/content/330/7505/1416 • Amnesty International, 2011, Deadly Delivery: The maternal health care crisis in the USA, http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/deadlydeliveryoneyear.pdf • Welsh, Today.com, 2011, C-Section rates hits all-time high, study finds, http://www.today.com/id/43807114/site/todayshow/ns/today-today_health/t/c-section-rates-hit-all-time-high-study-finds/#.UPlhgWfiWCo • Delaware Code Title 16, 4106 Practice of Non-Nurse Midwifery, Section 4.3, http://regulations.delaware.gov/AdminCode/title16/Department%20of%20Health%20and%20Social%20Services/Division%20of%20Public%20Health/Family%20Health%20Services/4106.shtml • Hearing Held for Karen Webster: The case for medicine or midwifery continues in Delaware, 2013, http://www.mommatraumablog.com/1/post/2013/01/hearing-held-for-karen-webster-the-case-for-medicine-or-midwifery-continues-in-delaware.html

I have been in an accident where the uninsured person got away with not paying a dime. Myself and my insurance however had to foot the bill. Everyone should have to have a drivers license and auto insurance who drives on our roads. It's the only sane choice for safety and accountability.

It's about reducing the inordinate influence of a very powerful gun lobby.

The mass shootings in Tucson, Aurora, and Newtown have prompted the American public to consider new legislation that will reduce the likelihood of these tragedies. However, the NRA has consistently stood in the way of common-sense regulations, often by pressuring the government to avoid taking a closer look at the real factors that are contributing to the national problem of gun violence. The group has also poisoned the debate about public safety, even to the point that they featured President Obama's children in an inflammatory TV advertisement. Given the urgency of solving the issue of gun violence, this violent and threatening rhetoric must be stopped.

In the state of Michigan, it should be mandatory for the individuals receiving government aid(welfare) to pass a drug screening test before being awarded the money.

Keep a man with strong convictions in office.

Restaurant owners in the CBD are about to have their sales invaded on by the food truck industry should new legislation get passed in February. Restauranteurs have made great investments in their product and have worked hard to build a following of customers in their area. To think that a food truck can soon park 50 feet from our doors and sell food during peek hours of business for 4 hours is truly concerning!!!!! This legislation should be stopped immediately!!!!!!!

A DISINTERESTED PARTY TO FAIRLY RE DRAW ALL U.S. CONGRESSIONAL AND STATE LEGISLATURE DISTRICTS... AND FOR IT TO BE DONE NOW IN 2013... SO THAT NO "REDMAPPING" BEHAVIOR FROM THE "G.O.P." CAN BE DONE TO STEAL THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2016

Our grandchildren did not attend Sandy Hook, but we think of what our state of mind would be right now if our babies had been terrorized at that young age, and forced into loosing their freedom to live out their dreams. Gun ownership has become so common, that we are now questioning whetherr we are safe without a weapon in our home. We are concerned about how many other people feel unsafe for the same reason.

New York's minimum wage has risen only 10 cents since 2007, and today remains decades out of date. If the state's minimum wage had simply kept pace with the rising cost of living since 1970, it would equal more than $10.70 per hour today. Instead, the current minimum wage remains stuck at $7.25 per hour, which translates to just $15,080 per year for a full-time worker. Governor Cuomo called for raising New York's minimum wage to $8.75 per hour during his 2013 State of the State address. Now the legislature must deliver. The Independent Democratic Caucus must use its leadership power in the New York Senate to support legislation that raises New York's minimum wage to at least $8.75 per hour and indexes the minimum wage to automatically rise with the cost of living each year.

Faster, affordable, convenient rail service is within our reach in the Northeast. The Amtrak rail line from New Haven to Hartford, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Canada is being improved for high speed commuter rail and faster intercity trains. But in Connecticut, an insanely stupid busway project, the New Britain-Hartford Busway, is being built on the rail line, paving over the rail right of way that is needed for better rail service. The busway will cripple this improved rail service. Two transportation projects costing hundreds of millions of dollars -- and one of them harms the other. The busway MUST be stopped.

The State of NY has turned law-abiding gun owners into criminals with the stroke of a pen. Governor Cuomo has shown disrespect for the role lawful gun owners play in maintaining State resources by waiving the mandatory 3-day discussion period of any proposed law. We need to strike back in a lawful, effective manner.