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A protest against the decision to withdraw midwives from supporting homebirths will take place outside the States' meeting on Wednesday.
Expectant mum Kirsten Hieghton-Jackson has organised the protest along with other islanders after she was left “furious” at the States’ decision.
“It is atrocious that staffing shortages are being used to deny women the basic right to homebirths,” said Ms Hieghton-Jackson.
Pictured: Pressure on resources caused the Committee for Health & Social Care to withdraw midwives from supporting homebirths.
The Committee said that its small team of midwives could not facilitate the service in addition to running services on Loveridge Ward at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
Deputy Tina Bury, Vice-President of the Committee, said that limited resources needed to be focused where they would provide the greatest benefit.
“The midwifery team is small and it was simply not sustainable or safe in the long term to provide the kind of on-call cover needed to support homebirths,” she said
“We have to focus our limited resources where they are of greatest benefit to the significant majority of women who choose to give birth on Loveridge Ward.
"Nevertheless, we are very sorry for the impact this will have on expectant parents who had their hearts set on giving birth at home."
Pictured: The protest will take place outside the Royal Court when the States meet there on Wednesday.
Lauren Le Page said she would be attending the protest.
"What's happening is unfair and taking away a woman's right to something that women have been doing since we have been on the planet," she said.
"There's no complicated reason to allow it (homebirths) - it's a simple birth right that shouldn't be taken away from any human being."
One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told Express: “I am due to have a baby at the end of June and the decision to take away home births as an option in Guernsey is very disappointing.”
Pictured: Kirsten Hieghton-Jackson with her son after a previous homebirth.
Ms Hieghton-Jackson spoke to Express after the announcement was made and has since conducted an online survey to attain local homebirth figures after disagreeing with the States’ reported figure that there had been “15 planned home births in the last 5 years”.
Ms Heighton-Jackson believes this figure was not an accurate reflection of homebirths in Guernsey as the service was suspended for part of that five-year period.
The protest will take place at 09:00 on Wednesday 30 March outside the Royal Court House ahead of that day's States' meeting.
Pictured: A poster advertising the protest.
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