For years, midwives had not been seen as doctors. A midwife is a person (typically a woman) that assist women in childbirth. People argued that midwives are not as capable as certified doctors, such as an obstetrician or an obstetrician-gynecologist. The practice of midwifery constantly brings controversy due to the concern of reliability of midwives and their approach for their methods of practice. With evolution, there have been many advances in technology, resources, and education, that prove that midwifery is just as commensurate as the practice of a doctor. Midwifery evolved from from what people thought was “witchcraft”. Midwives weren’t seen as actual practitioners. Doctors and many other people were against midwives. According to Stephen Hastings, a lawyer in the book, Midwives, by Chris Bohjalian, Hastings says that people see midwives as witches. “That’s how it’s always been with midwives, to some people, they’re witches -- or, these days, strange and somehow dangerous throwbacks to another era” …show more content…
Today, there are many pros, but there are also many cons to midwifery. Mothers and some practitioners benefit from the work and reliability of midwives, but when pregnancies become complicated, the drawbacks of midwifery become present. “The main benefit for most women who select a midwife is that they want to go through the birthing process in a natural way... Plus, in the end, the maternity costs are considerably less when you use a midwife” (David). In some cases, midwives are not recommended. Usually, this happens when there are arising complications with the pregnancy because most midwives aren’t equipped to medically intervene in certain situations like these. “The American Pregnancy Association says that choosing to use the services of a nurse-midwife will be a good choice for low-risk pregnancies where there is not likely to be a major medical complication.”