Before watching “The Business of Being Born,” I had never heard the term “Midwifery.” Although I knew that some women chose to birth naturally, I did not know there was a name for it or the extent of the practice. Seeing as I didn’t even know what Midwifery was, this shows that the majority of women in the United States are unaware of the issues involving reproductive justice. I think that Midwifery is still illegal in many states because the issue isn’t widely publicized. If the public isn’t informed about the practices of Midwifery, then there obviously will be no concern shown by women or men.
I think that Midwifery is still illegal due to society’s distrust of women’s decision making processes as well as distrust of their bodies. Melanie DeMaeyer wrote in “Living Incubator, Fetal Container, or a Womb with Legs,” that women are basically used for their reproductive organs and have no control over their own bodies. I agree with DeMaeyer’s argument in saying that women are thought of as subjects of others instead of being treated as equals in society.
Another reason I believe Midwifery is still illegal in many areas is because the majority of the United States is content with the way women traditionally give birth in hospitals. This is true because most women are not informed on the proper way to give birth and what is actually the healthiest, most comfortable way to birth a child. After watching the movie, I learned for the first time of the unsafe nature of many of the drugs that doctors give women in labor in order to carry along the process faster. The busy schedules of doctors and nurses in hospitals makes a relaxed birth almost impossible and many of the methods used are in order to ensure the comfort of the doctors, not the laboring women.
I firmly believe that if society had more awareness about the practice of Midwifery and knew the truths about the impersonal nature of many hospital births, there would be a great boost in participation on women’s reproductive justices. Both men and women who are expecting children or plan on having children someday would be much more likely to support Midwifery if they were properly informed. In order for women and men to fight for reproductive justices and Midwifery, the issues must be more widely spread and made aware to the public.
I disagree with the fact that midwifery is still illegal in Alabama due to society’s distrust of womens' decision making processes as well as distrust of their bodies. I think that midwifery is still illegal in this state because it is seen as uncertain and unsafe when it comes to the safety of the mother and the child. "The Business of Being Born" portrayed women as helpless beings who let the doctors and nurses in the hospital walk all over them during childbirth. I think that women who are smart will give birth in the hospital, but insist that it be done the way they wish and envision it.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. I had no idea what midwifery was either until this video. This does show that women are left in the dark when it comes to options they have for their body and their child. I feel like every woman should be told all the options she has, along with all the pros and cons of each option...and she should be told honestly what those are, not just get told the information that sways women to do whatever a particular group wants her to do. But I also agree with the comment on this post to an extent. In the situation that something major does occur during birth, such as too much bleeding, or a baby needing urgent care, help would be available in a hospital.
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