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Topics: Australia, Health, News, World News, New Zealand
Gerrard Kaonga
Topics: Australia, Health, News, World News, New Zealand
Officials are reiterating the dangers of ‘freebirths’, and they've even called for the government to step in and restrict them to save lives.
Being pregnant and giving birth can often prove to be a stressful and complicated time for any parent, and thankfully, it has gotten easier over the years, due to improvements in healthcare and technology.
However, a nonprofit organization has called for a growing trend to be restricted by the government.
In a blog post on November 3, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) called for so-called ‘free births’ to be restricted to prevent needless deaths.
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This comes after an influencer in Australia died due to complications she experienced at home.
The organization also clarified the difference between ‘freebirth’ and simple ‘home births'.
They said: “Freebirth is the intentional practice of giving birth without a registered healthcare professional, such as a midwife or doctor, present. It is different from a homebirth, which is a planned birth at home with a registered healthcare provider. The absence of appropriate clinical support during freebirth has led to preventable harm and loss of life.”
Last month, it was reported that Melbourne-based nutritionist Stacey Warnecke passed away after giving birth to her child, that she had at home. While her husband has provided some information on her passing, he has not outright claimed that she was taking part in the freebirth movement.
In a statement, after her death, he said: “It's with heavy heart that i share with you the unexpected passing of my beautiful wife, soul mate and best friend, Stacey Warnecke (Hatfield).
“Stacey passed on the 29th September 2025 after successfully giving birth to our firstborn son, Axel, at home. Tragically, shortly after, an unforeseen and extremely rare complication arose and she passed after being transferred to hospital.
"Hospital staff were amazing and did the utmost to help, but ultimately nothing could be done despite their best efforts.”
RANZCOG also outlined what they are asking on elected officials to do to prevent freebirth deaths in the future.
They said that they want ministers to introduce and pass legislation which ‘expressly restricts labor and birth management (including the three stages of labor, birth of the baby, and the third stage) to appropriately trained, registered practitioners.
The organization also said they want them to ‘ensure that unlicensed or unregulated persons are prohibited by law from undertaking the management of labor and birth as defined in the legislation.’
They've also called for public officials to ensure transparency, accountability, and safety in birthing services.