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Let's get the language right

Last night the ABC’s 7.30 Report has a long awaited item on the battle between midwives and obstetricians. The report stemmed from a Conference held in Newcastle a couple of weeks ago, where the arguments for birth centres and midwifery-only hospitals were forcefully presented by a team of midwives. A number of obstetricians were in the audience as well, and I gather it was a lively affair, with the midwives clearly winning over many sceptical obstetricians to the idea that maternity hospitals staffed only by midwives were not only safe, but a necessary option so that women could have true choice in how they gave birth.

As these developments gain pace in Australia, I am concerned about the adoption of the term “midwifery led units”to describe a service run entirely by midwives. This terminology has come from the UK, where it is widely used to describe services we have always called “birth centres”. In the UK a Birth Centre has come to mean anywhere that women have babies and the term has been co-opted to convey a false sense of security and promise, especially when applied to regular hospital labour wards, as it does, for example at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital in London. The British are not particularly sensitive to the nuances of the impact of language and seem incapable and unwilling to adopt more woman friendly terms such as “birth” instead of “delivery”. Their use of “midwifery led units” seems to me to reflect their obsession with power and status in the wider sense and the need for midwives to see themselves at the top of a tree, alongside the doctors (and perhaps at women’s expense).

My beef about the term “midwifery led unit” is that it once again puts the emphasis on the midwife and not the woman. It gives status and power to midwives this time, instead of the doctors who normally preside over “delivery suites”. I know that those developing these new maternity services are not intent on taking the control away from women, and I know that they are motivated by very woman-centred philosophies. I am therefore making a plea that we adopt some other term in Australia, as recognition that these new maternity units are of benefit to ALL women, both the pregnant ones and those caring for them.

Could we not continue with our traditional term of “Birth Centre” or just use “Maternity Unit”, or perhaps something else?

Posted by andrea at September 20, 2005 08:45 AM