ACOG recommends the work of DOULAS

How much weight do they carry?

Their influence is enormous, and it reaches far beyond the United States:

• The global standard of evidence-based medicine: The Clinical Guidelines and Committee Statements published by ACOG are the «gold standard». Leading maternity hospitals, private clinics, and perinatal centres around the world rely on them. When a physician writes a birth protocol, they most often check it against ACOG guidelines.
• A legal shield for physicians: In the USA and many other countries, ACOG recommendations carry weight in court. If a physician acted strictly according to this College's protocol, proving medical error is practically impossible. And conversely — ignoring their standards is considered a serious violation.
• Influence on insurance medicine: ACOG recommendations directly affect which procedures and specialists will be covered by medical insurance. The fact that they included doulas in this statement means insurance companies will now be far more active in covering birth support services.

Why is this statement (No. 31) a historic breakthrough for doulas?

Previously, the medical system often treated doulas with scepticism, seeing them as «alternatives» who got in the way of physicians' work.

When a body of this level, such as ACOG, officially states: «Physicians must integrate doulas, respect the traditional experience of apprenticeship without diplomas, and recognise that doulas improve birth outcomes» — this completely changes the rules of the game. It is the official shift from confrontation («physicians versus doulas») to synergy and teamwork for the benefit of gentle, healthy birth, as well as the psycho-emotional safety of the woman.