Modern Challenges In Midwifery

In the savage world of litigation, lawsuits filed without a factual basis in law, or lacking good faith, are regarded as frivolous.  In the context of serious harm, death, and damages, this is a particularly ridiculous adjective to describe claims that are serious and potentially damaging.  If there are legitimate injuries and reasonable claims, a negligence filing is not frivolous.

Campaigns against midwifery, starting at the beginning of the 19th century, set the table for strained relationships between physicians and midwives, which persist to the present time. Anti-midwifery sentiments, enhanced by the attitudes of J. Whitridge Williams and Joseph Bolivar DeLee*, ushered in the age of obstetrics and scientific medicine which were considered the only modern and realistic choice for safe and healthy childbirth in America.[1]

Consumers and attorneys need to understand differences between midwives and the unique aspects of each practice. For instance, a CPM or a Lay midwife will be judged by a different standard of care than CNMs or CMs.