Mainstreaming Midwives: The Politics of Change

by Davis-Floyd; Robbie

• ISBN13: 9780415931502
• ISBN10: 0415931509
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-03-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Providing insights into midwifery, a team of reputable contributors describe the development of nurse- and direct-entry midwifery in the United States, including the creation of two new direct-entry certifications, the Certified Midwife and the Certified Professional Midwife, and examine the history, purposes, complexities, and the political strife that has characterized the evolution of midwifery in America. Including detailed case studies, the book looks at the efforts of direct-entry midwives to achieve legalization and licensure in seven states: New York, Florida, Michigan, Iowa, Virginia, Colorado, and Massachusetts with varying degrees of success. It studies core issues which produce problems in mainstreaming midwives, including the tensions between the social activist midwifery movement and midwives' professionalization projects, "renegade" midwives who practice outside of state protocols, and home-to-hospital transport. The conclusion describes the barriers to the growth and prospering ofAmerican midwifery and efforts to overcome them, focusing deeply on "why midwives matter" to American birthgiving women and why midwives should be the primary caregivers in this country for pregnancy and birth. Mainstreaming Midwives is essential reading for every midwife and midwifery supporter, and for social scientists seeking to understand how marginalized professionals work to move into the mainstream.

Table of Contents

Glossary of Frequently Used Acronyms	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Developing Direct-Entry Midwifery in the United States	p. 27
ACNM and MANA: Divergent Histories and Convergent Trends	p. 29
Idealism and Pragmatism in the Creation of the Certified Midwife: The Development of Midwifery in New York and the New York Midwifery Practice Act of 1992	p. 81
Qualified Commodification: The Creation of the Certified Professional Midwife	p. 163
State-Based Studies in the Legislation of Direct-Entry Midwifery	p. 205
"The Governor's Full Support": Legalizing Direct-Entry Midwifery in Florida	p. 211
Minnesota Direct-Entry Midwives: Achieving Legislative Success through Focusing on Families, Safety, and Women's Rights	p. 261
Risks, Costs, and Effects of Homebirth Midwifery Legislation in Colorado	p. 289
"Every Breath Is Political, Every Woman's Life a Statement": Cross-Class Organizing for Midwifery in Virginia	p. 311
"I'm living my politics": Legalizing and Licensing Direct-Entry Midwives in Iowa	p. 347
Creating a Way out of No Way: Midwifery in Massachusetts	p. 375
Core Issues in Mainstreaming Midwives	p. 411
From Calling to Career: Keeping the Social Movement in the Professional Project	p. 413
Renegade Midwives: Assets or Liabilities?	p. 447
Home to Hospital Transport: Fractured Articulations or Magical Mandorlas?	p. 469
Why Midwives Matter: Overcoming Barriers to Caretake the Power of Birth	p. 507
Contributors	p. 541
Index	p. 547
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