ABSTRACT
Until the mid-20th century, birth in the United States for Latinx Indigenous peoples was an ancestral ceremony guided by midwives and traditional healers (parteras curanderas). As American physicians and nurses increasingly differentiated themselves from traditional midwives, midwives of color in particular were disparaged and excluded from helping women give birth and thus from making birth a cultural foothold in their lives. As a result, communities of Latinx Indigenous peoples were culturally and spiritually separated-via the marginalization of parteras-from important health traditions, which caused suffering and illness. Reimplementation of birth as ceremony means babies can be born (and communities reborn) into an ancestral cultural ecology characterized by safety and cultural reclamation of healing.
Hasta mediados del siglo XX, los partos para los pueblos indígenas latinx en los Estados Unidos eran una ceremonia ancestral guiada por parteras y curanderas tradicionales (parteras curanderas). En la medida que médicos y enfermeros estadounidenses se diferenciaron cada vez más de las parteras tradicionales, las parteras de color en especial fueron menospreciadas y excluidas de ayudar a las mujeres a dar a luz y, por lo tanto, de hacer del parto un punto de apoyo cultural en sus vidas. Como consecuencia, las comunidades de pueblos indígenas latinx fueron separadas cultural y espiritualmente (a través de la marginalización de las parteras) de importantes tradiciones de la salud, lo que generó dolor y enfermedad. La reimplementación del parto como ceremonia significa que los bebés pueden nacer (y las comunidades renacer) dentro de una ecología cultural ancestral caracterizada por la seguridad y la recuperación cultural de la curación.
Subject(s)
Health Equity , Midwifery , Female , Health Promotion , Humans , Parturition , PregnancyABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Midwifery is defined and regulated across all 50 United States. However, states' regulations vary markedly, creating confusion for policy makers and consumers, and can limit services to women. In 2011, the International Confederation of Midwives released Global Standards for Midwifery Education, Regulation, and Association, providing guidance for international midwifery for the first time. US organizations representing midwifery education, regulation, and professional associations (US MERA) agreed to work together on common goals. METHODS: The purpose of this modified Delphi study, conducted by US MERA, was to develop a consensus document on principles of model US midwifery legislation and regulation. Expert panelists (N = 51) across maternal and child health care professions and consumer groups participated over several iterative rounds. RESULTS: The final document establishes guiding principles for US midwifery regulation, including regulatory authority, education, qualifications, regulation, registration and licensure, standards of practice and conduct, complaints, and third-party payment for services. DISCUSSION: As more US states recognize and license midwives of all credentials and in every practice setting, we can envision a time when equity, informed choice, safety, and seamless access to quality midwifery care will be the right of every birthing family.
