Why such differing stances? A review of position statements on home birth from professional colleges.
Despite low rates of home birth throughout most Western countries, the topic generates considerable debate. This is reflected by the differing positions on home birth adopted by professional colleges representing obstetricians and midwives. We reviewed position statements of midwifery and obstetric colleges in the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada to explore how the same body of research evidence leads to different positions. Aside from a joint statement from the UK we found widely differing stances, reflecting traditional midwifery perspectives of birth as a physiological process versus obstetric perspectives of potential pathology. We feel the differences in position statements are largely the end product of significant confirmatory bias.


CONCLUSIONS
Review of organisational position on home birth suggests bias in literature interpretation.
Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
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Roome
Midwifery and Women's Health Nursing Research Unit, Royal Hospital for Women and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
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Hartz
Midwifery and Women's Health Nursing Research Unit, Royal Hospital for Women and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
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Tracy
Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.|Australian Centre for Perinatal Science, University of New South Wales, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
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Welsh
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006700:Home Childbirth; D006801:Humans; D008880:Midwifery; D009774:Obstetrics; D011247:Pregnancy; D012955:Societies, Medical
Confirmatory bias; obstetric and midwifery colleges; planned home birth