Thread: TX-Border births: Alliance backs bill to OK midwife records

Border births: Alliance backs bill to OK midwife records

By GARY MARTIN
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
Published: Friday, June 19, 2009 4:42 AM CDT

WASHINGTON - A Southwest border trade group endorsed legislation Thursday that would help people born in the U.S. obtain passports even though they lack birth certificates.

The Border Trade Alliance said the pending bill would have an impact on thousands of citizens in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California who were born in the United States but delivered by midwives or family members and who lack traditional birth documentation.

"This legislation provides for adequate due process for all U.S. citizens in applying for a passport," said Erin Martin Ward, BTA chairwoman.

Lawsuit pending

This month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security began enforcing the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that requires U.S. citizens to present a passport when entering the country from Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean.

The State Department does not recognize midwife certificates or other records as sufficient documentation without a birth certificate when it considers passport applications.

A federal lawsuit was filed in February by Rio Grande Valley residents challenging the department's criteria.

Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, filed a bill last week that would allow documents other than birth certificates issued at hospitals to be used to apply for passports.

He said the current practice "has subjected thousands of U.S. citizens to unfair treatment."

Co-sponsors of the legislation include Reps. Charlie Gonzalez, D-Texas; Ruben Hinojosa, D-Texas; Ciro Rodriguez, D-Texas; Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas; and Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz.

No companion legislation has been filed in the Senate.

About 25,000 infants a year are born outside hospitals in the U.S., according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Communities along the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada have the highest rates of citizens born out of a traditional hospital setting, according to the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based BTA.

(To reach Gary Martin, send an e-mail to gmartin@express-news.net)

http://www.lmtonline.com/articles/2009/ ... 969142.txt

And we know there is no reason to suspect any midwives documents are not true and factual......and that the midwife did not profit from providing false documents......