Title: How Midwives Learn: Origins of the Home Birth Controversy

Abstract: Recent media coverage of the increasing popularity of out-of-hospital births in the U.S. has generated a widespread debate about the politics and place of birth. This is not a new phenomenon. In the 1970s, a quiet revolution spread as
individuals challenged legal, institutional and medical protocols by choosing
unlicensed midwives to catch their babies at home. Who were these
self-proclaimed midwives who seemed to appear overnight, and how did they
learn their trade? This talk will focus on the first accredited program for
non-nurse midwives in the U.S., the Seattle Midwifery School.

Wendy Kline, PhD, is Professor of History and Dema G. Seelye Chair in the History of Medicine at Purdue University