I am sorry to my sisters.

We don't support each other enough. When the going gets tough, we judge and whisper. We owe each other more than that. We owe each other more than "there but for the grace of God (or Goddess) go I" as we bow our heads to avoid judgement by association. So, the next tme a midwife is being balled out, in person or in the media, I will stand up with her. Bala Naidu made some mistakes. She wasn't perfect. But the witch hunt that took place, and her abandonment by her sister's during a three year ordeal due to mistakes that ANY ONE OF US could have made.... (And when the proceeding rather than just the judgements are released, we will be able to see that this is true) she did not deserve that. I have never met Bala, but I apologise to her, in this forum, for not standing beside her in her hour of need.

But, Bala's is an extreme case. I also would like to apologise to my sister's who I have seen or heard being run down or attacked by colleagues in the staff room or public. To the ones who are called lazy and uncommitted, when I KNOW they are neither of those things, but just trying to avoid Bala's fate. To the one's who are called "dodgy" cause they believe women have a right to choose where she births. I daresay that the same is said about me when i am not there to defend myself.

The shortage of midwives in NZ should bring us together....instead it seems to drive us apart and make us attack each other with undue cause. I am sorry to my sisters for being part of that. It stops today.