Prosecution of Midwife Casts Light on Home Births - New York Times

Prosecution of Midwife Casts Light on Home Births - New York Times

The profession of midwife has existed for a very long time. The debate these days is about whether a mother should deliver her baby at home with a mid-wife or whether the birth should take place in a hospital. There are risks involved if there is a home birth, but there are equal risks from having a hospital birth.

In some states within the USA, giving birth at home in the presence of a midwife who does not have medical training is illegal. I believe that this is fair enough. The midwives do a good service but if they are untrained with regard to medical skills then there is a higher than average risk of something going wrong. The women who have given birth at home would disagree with me on that issue.

The story that is highlighted here is a home birth death. The midwife was very professional and yes she did everything that is right, but she is practising without a licence. It is something that needs to be rectified in the state of Indiana. There are a lot of good reasons for making sure that the midwives are licensed, and the major one is ensuring that there is always professional conduct involved.

The battle between nurses and doctors on the one hand and midwives on the other, is being characterised as one that is due to money. However, I wonder whether that is totally true, given the risks involved in giving birth. An uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery can be handled at home. However, would a midwife practitioner be willing to call in a doctor if there are complications beyond her skills? What if the cord is wrapped around the baby's neck? What if there is some other medical emergency?

Having licensed mid-wife practioners is a far better scenario than having a situation where the mid-wife in attendance is afraid of sending the mother and baby to hospital out of fear of being arrested for illegal practice of midwifery. It would bring the profession out into the open and make the midwives more accountable for their practices.

Is there professional jealousy that has prevented the mid-wives from practising in these states? I doubt that professional jealousy and a motive for earnings are true reasons for the current situation. I think that it might be a case of looking into the historical background as to why it was necessary to enact these laws in the first place. The standards of practise need to be very high to ensure the safety of both mother and child.