I don't recall the era of the 1960s with fondness; it wasn't all bad, but it was a messy, unkind time that accelerated our culture's decline in the areas of civility and decent behavior. However, there must be more of the 60s in my make-up than I thought: I'm finding good reasons to distrust The Man. :)
Just as the National Education Association adamantly opposes home education, the American Medical Association, unnerved, perhaps, by Ricki Lake's popular home birth movie, The Business of Being Born, has taken direct aim at home birth.* Reaction against yet one more threat to personal freedom has come from across the political spectrum, from the far left to the far right. Congratulations to the AMA for provoking agreement between pro-choice and pro-life groups.
Naturally one would expect professional associations for doctors (and teachers, and plumbers for that matter) to fear and oppose anything that threatens to take even a small amount of business away from their members. This conflict of interest, however, does make it difficult to believe that the driving motivation for their actions is altruistic. They would do better, I think, to consider the advice of wise Gamaliel to the Sanhedrin (Acts 5:12-39) when they threatened to kill Peter and the other apostles who were disrupting Jerusalem (and the Sanhedrin's business) with their stories about Jesus:
Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.
*If you follow this link to the U.S. News and World Report article, some of you will be particularly interested to note the first comment.
There is good news from Missouri, where physicians had challenged a law allowing midwives to deliver babies. The suit was dismissed on procedural grounds only, but for the moment Missouri's midwives and their clients have reason to celebrate.
Despite appearances, I'm not anti-doctor, any more than I'm anti-teacher (or anti-plumber). We all need each other, and there are situations in which professional qualifications are absolutely required. Neither do I object to certification, which is a reasonable way to help people make informed choices. Where I draw the line is at the point where particular professional credentials are required rather than recommended.
What I'd really like to see, in both health care and education, is less acrimony and more cooperation all on sides.
