What's it like to be a midwife in a conflict zone? | (MIS)Treated

In this country, midwives were once a cornerstone of every Indigenous community. What happened? Before the 20th century, midwifery was essential for communities throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and America. With the growth of western medicine in the late 1800s to early 1900s, midwives were instead accused of being unsanitary and unscientific. Midwifery became known as "the Midwife problem," and the practice was phased out and operated in legal "grey zones." In 1994, after decades of midwives pushing back, Ontario became the first province in Canada to recognize and legalize midwives. In 2024, PEI became the final province in Canada to officially recognize midwifery. If the history of midwives is this complicated in the Global North, what is it like to practice as a midwife in places experiencing civil unrest or conflict? A new documentary follows five midwives who are doing that work. On today's episode, host and producer Nam Kiwanuka speaks to two midwives, Ximena Rojas Garcia and Jay MacGillivray, as well as Nance Ackerman, the director of "The Delivery Line: Midwives on the Frontlines." Together, they speak about the challenges of the work that these midwives do, but also about the joy of catching a baby. 00:00 Intro 01:00 Medicalization of Birth and the “Midwife Problem” 02:27 Legalization of Midwifery in Canada (1994 to 2024) 03:45 Midwifery Today: Gaps, Pay, and Expanding Scope 04:00 Midwives on the Front Lines: Documentary Preview 05:00 Meet the Filmmaker and Midwives 06:25 Why Tell This Story Across Conflict Zones 09:37 Care, Consent, and Radical Tenderness 12:05 Midwifery, Racism, and Poverty in Canada 16:07 Migration, Borders, and Birth in Crisis 19:05 Hope, Healing, and the Power of Birth 36:21 Hospitals vs. Midwifery Models of Care 47:17 Why Supporting Midwives Still Matters Subscribe to TVO Today to watch more content like this: https://www.youtube.com/@tvotoday Listen to the podcast: https://www.tvo.org/podcasts/ Links:  Midwifery: A Woman's Labour, A Woman's Choice, 1994 CanLIIDocs 506 https://www.canlii.org/en/commentary/doc/1994CanLIIDocs506#!fragment//BQCwhgziBcwMYgK4DsDWszIQewE4BUBTADwBdoByCgSgBpltTCIBFRQ3AT0otokLC4EbDtyp8BQkAGU8pAELcASgFEAMioBqAQQByAYRW1SYAEbRS2ONWpA  British Columbia to let midwives prescribe abortion pill and other drugs https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/british-columbia/british-columbia-to-let-midwives-prescribe-abortion-pill-and-other-drugs/article_f4b5639a-847f-5038-98a1-b82fb4208b00.html#tncms-source=login  Indigenous communities across Canada have always had midwives https://indigenousmidwifery.ca/history-strategic-plan/  A Brief History of Midwifery in America https://www.ohsu.edu/womens-health/brief-history-midwifery-america  THE MIDWIFE PROBLEM IN THE UNITED STATES https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/236051  Why Are We Asking Doctors If Women Should Have Midwives? https://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/holistic-healthcare/why-are-we-asking-doctors-if-women-should-have-midwives.html  Childbirth evacuation among rural and remote Indigenous communities in Canada: A scoping review https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S187151922100038X  25 years on: What midwifery in Canada has achieved and what it still needs https://theconversation.com/25-years-on-what-midwifery-in-canada-has-achieved-and-what-it-still-needs-120210  The Destruction of Canadian Midwifery during the 20th Century https://birthinternational.com/the-re-emergence-of-canadian-midwifery/?srsltid=AfmBOoq9ax0eNorpdo1FISNUjB2sOB7TlOFK1Mo79rbISeZ9DLcxZhHN  After decades-long push, P.E.I. now offers midwifery to oversee pregnancies https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-midwifery-services-offered-1.7102229  Georgia bans many midwives from practicing. Now, several are suing the state https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/midwives-sue-challenge-state-restrictions-rcna264951  Facing rural realities and mistrust in hospitals, these women turned to home births https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/freebirthing-rural-maternal-medicine-9.7172199  Check out the rest of the TVO ecosystem TVO Docs - https://www.youtube.com/@tvo TVO Kids - https://www.youtube.com/@TVOkids TVO Learn - https://www.youtube.com/@tvolearn Download the TVO Today App Apple - https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/tvo-today/id1616182112 Available on: Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung, LG, Amazon Fire TV Enjoying this content and want to make a meaningful impact? Consider donating today! https://support.tvo.org/site/Donation2?mfc_pref=T&idb=599945504&df_id=16843&16843.donation=form1&DONATION_LEVEL_ID_SELECTED=1661&mfc_pref=T