Rally the Troops!

If there's one thing that I've learned in my time in the birthy world, it's that not everyone is as innocent as they claim to be. That is a particularly hard lesson to learn when you support Midwives as a whole, and the legalization and decriminalization of Midwives. While I once thought that we should support Midwives simply by fact of being a Midwife...I definitely don't feel the same at this time.

You see a Midwife being vilified, and immediately want to jump in to defend. Their stories are posted online, in both official media and blogs/forums/groups. While I know for a fact that so-called "facts" are often not facts at all but outright lies to make the situation seem far worse than it actually was, I also know that people lie. Even "good ole" Midwives. I watched as a Midwife lied to people so that she could rally support and come across as innocently as possible. And it wasn't a rumor that she lied, I know personally that she lied.

I watch as Midwives claim innocence, and then the stories come out from the birthing families who were harmed by either negligence, misunderstandings, or flat out lies. And guess what? Some of them sound much more plausible than the Midwife's story.

Let me be absolutely clear. Is there a witch-hunt in regards to Midwives with the goal of eradicating them? Absolutely, I believe this to be true. But there is also this idea that we need to support Midwives NO MATTER WHAT, when they face investigation, and I disagree. Some Midwives are neglectful. Some are downright stupid in the way that they practice. Some are seriously dangerous. So when there is confirmation that a Midwife has been practicing in very harmful, very damaging ways....are women and other Midwives supposed to rally behind her?

I myself have been frustrated with the Obstetric system when it comes to this very thing. Why do Doctors blatantly defend other Doctors, even when it's clear that they were practicing in harmful ways? It always seemed like a system of underhandedness and brush-truth-under-the-rug. And they seemed to get away with it. Those who spoke out about what was REALLY going on (ie, "whistleblowers") are the ones who get fired and blacklisted.

It's no different in the birthy world with Midwives. Women, doulas, and other Midwives who speak up about scary practices that have led to harm are labeled as "reputation smearing trouble makers", "liars", and unsupportive. Even if the allegations are 100% true. We have a "good ole boy" system in place even in the birth world. Yet, these Midwives who are practicing in harmful ways are slowly ruining the face of home birth and Midwifery by their actions. I'm afraid it's ultimately going to lead women like me, who want full birthing choices, in the dust.