Ethical Issues in Midwifery
When moral values are in conflict, the result may be an ethical dilemma or crisis. Sometimes, no good solution to a dilemma in midwifery ethics exists, and, on occasion, the values of the midwifery community conflict with the values of the individual patient, family, or larger medical community. Conflicts can also arise between health care providers, or among family members. Some argue for example, that the principles of autonomy and beneficence clash when patients refuse blood transfusions, considering them life-saving; and truth-telling was not emphasized to a large extent before the HIV era.
The International Confederation of Midwives states this about ethics in the profession of midwifery. "Midwives respect a woman's informed right of choice and promote the woman's acceptance of responsibility for the outcomes of her choices. Midwives work with women, supporting their right to participate actively in decisions about their care, and empowering women to speak for themselves on issues affecting the health of women and their families in their culture/society.”
A common framework used in the analysis of midwifery/medical ethics is the "four principles" approach postulated by Tom Beauchamp and James Childress in their textbook Principles of biomedical ethics. It recognizes four basic moral principles, which are to be judged and weighed against each other, with attention given to the scope of their application. The four principles are:
Please join us for an indepth discussion of ethical issues in midwifery with real world case studies.
The International Confederation of Midwives states this about ethics in the profession of midwifery. "Midwives respect a woman's informed right of choice and promote the woman's acceptance of responsibility for the outcomes of her choices. Midwives work with women, supporting their right to participate actively in decisions about their care, and empowering women to speak for themselves on issues affecting the health of women and their families in their culture/society.”
A common framework used in the analysis of midwifery/medical ethics is the "four principles" approach postulated by Tom Beauchamp and James Childress in their textbook Principles of biomedical ethics. It recognizes four basic moral principles, which are to be judged and weighed against each other, with attention given to the scope of their application. The four principles are:
- Respect for autonomy – the patient has the right to refuse or choose their treatment. (Voluntas aegroti suprema lex.)
- Beneficence – a practitioner should act in the best interest of the patient. (Salus aegroti suprema lex.)
- Non-maleficence – "first, do no harm" (primum non nocere).
- Justice – concerns the distribution of scarce health resources, and the decision of who gets what treatment (fairness and equality). (Iustitia.)
- Respect for persons – the patient (and the person treating the patient) have the right to be treated with dignity.
- Truthfulness and honesty – the concept of informed consent has increased in importance since the historical events of the Doctors' Trial of the Nuremberg trials and Tuskegee syphilis experiment.
Please join us for an indepth discussion of ethical issues in midwifery with real world case studies.
Midwives Panel
Augustine Colebrook, CPM is a mother, grandmother, and trusted, skilled, midwife of 18 years. She has attended more than a 1000 births in hospitals, birth centers, and homes in rural, urban and suburban environments in the US and abroad. Augustine is a nationally renowned midwifery speaker and educator and teaches around the US.
Now, she utilizes that breadth of experience to midwife transitions in all phases of life for women and especially midwives. She paves the way for personal transformation with the women she works with, allowing the expansive development of self-confidence, empowerment, and intuition. |
Anja Farin, LM, CPM, IBCLC, CAP began serving families in 1997 and after a break to birth and raise four children, earned her CPM and Wisconsin license in 2010. I began studying the Arvigo® Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy in 2013, culminating in Certification in the techniques in 2017 with the final class in Belize.
Anja is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) since 2016, though she spent many years in various La Leche League groups providing mother-to-mother support for breastfeeding parents. She has been married to the love of her life for 25 years, and loves to hike, take photos, knit, sew, and sing. |
Andi Raine, LM, CPM, IBCLC has been attending births as a primary midwife since 2003. She has attended over seven hundred births in an out-of-hospital setting. Her philosophy of childbirth is that every mother deserves respectful and evidence-based care at all times. She believes in creating the optimal environment for hormonal support of safe birth that allows the normal physiological birth process to unfold.
She is a licensed midwife in Wisconsin and owner of a free-standing birth center, She lives with her husband and children in Appleton and enjoys gardening. She is also the administrator and owner of a local Preschool when she is not busy caring for expectant families. |