Time to get rid of the word 'midwife'?

[LadyCrazyCatLady]

I've received communication from my NHS trust today regarding a new service that they're offering for 'birthing people' and throughout the email they use the words 'birthing people' and 'pregnant people'.

I'm a fan of inclusive language, but don't find 'birthing people' inclusive as it seems to reduce women to a function of their bodies. You'd never refer to 'defecating people' when describing colorectal services. I think I'd be more OK with "women and people who are pregnant".

Anyway, it got me thinking, if we're no longer using the term 'women' at all, maybe we also need to re-name the job title of midwife, meaning "with-woman"...

Only biological women can give birth, end of. I'd be complaining if I received literature for pregnant or birthing people - however confused they are with their sexuality they have decided to have a baby which is an exclusively biologically female act so should be able to cope with the fact they are a female

This is well put. I remember relating to the passages in the book 'Invisible Women' when the author discussed the default human, being male.

I do however struggle to see how "women and other people who are pregnant" is treating men as the default. More that there are 'women' and 'others'. I agree that giving birth is one of the most womanly things that you can do, but a small minority of people don't believe this and I wouldn't want a barrier to care to exist that could be solved with a simple change in language (without erasing the word woman).

I'm a fan of inclusive language where possible as I wouldn't want to cause suffering to someone who was battling with their own identity or cause them not to seek out appropriate care during pregnancy i.e someone who identified as non-binary or identifying as a trans man.

Someone battling with their identity to such an extent needs help elsewhere.

People can identify as they wish - they are free to wear whatever clothes they like, pursue whatever interests them, generally live as they wish but the basic biological fact is that only women can carry and give birth to babies.

I do not understand why we are facilitating delusion when it comes to sex - similar delusions would be deemed a mental health issue.

Choosing to live as a man is one thing but believing you are when you are not is something else entirely!

Historically, in the days before obstetricians, a man who assisted births was called a "midwife" or "man-midwife". The word "midwife" has been in use for at least 700 years. No need to change a word that's been in use for centuries, just to appease men.

Historically 'birthing people' were called "women". It's a word that's been in use for even longer than the word "midwife". No need to change a word that's been in use for centuries, just to appease men.

I want to like this post a hundred times

Since women are the only people who can give birth (non-binary and trans men are still biologically women), the term midwife is the only appropriate term

women and other people who are pregnant is tautological. Only women get pregnant. To suggest otherwise is deceit. Why do you want our public health body to deceive patients?

They are not 'other people' they are women.

They are women because biologically they produce babies.

The reductive element is the fact that says you have to be feminine to be a woman. It panders to gender stereotypes. And that women choose those stereotypes and to live within the gender expectations of 'woman'. Not that they just ARE women who come in all shapes and sizes without any of that regressive claptrap that somehow forces them to be 'other'. Wtf is 'other' in practice? It's literally 'othering' women for failing to conform to gender stereotypes!

Can you get more reductive and dick pandering? You aren't feminine enough to class yourself as a woman?

Only women and girls get pregnant that should say.

On second thought "Women and other pregnant people" will probably be seen as non-inclusive as it is 'othering' people who don't identify as women, but I can't think of a better way of phrasing it and feel genuinely angry when I see the terms "birthing person" or even "person who menstruates".

One poster suggested that I name and shame my trust, I know this is anonymous but some people are incredibly good at identifying people in RL from their posts and I wouldn't want to end up in a disciplinary for discussing trust correspondence on a chat forum.

A gynaecologist is much more than thought.
Such a name would stop many women to go and see one….
It could be triggering for women victim of rape and sexual assault etc…

Basically, it will be VERY hard to be inclusive if everyone….

I’d be happy to keep it all as it is….

So to avoid offending a handful of mentally ill people, rather than ensure we have appropriate counselling and mental health support services, the world has decided the entire population needs to replace accurate language with weird terms that avoid the scientifically accurate words that might creat discomfort?
Cervix havers may visit birthing people support workers in the birthing support unit? How miserable.
It sounds like a cross between Handmaids Tale and this absolute genius video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?timecontinue=16&v=pVQ29tfOvl8&embedssreferringeuri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2F&feature=embbtitle

Not that it overly matters, but it’s not to “appease men”. It’s to appease women who have decided they don’t want to be called women. Which is an entirely different issue because we should be helping those women navigate this. This is still an entirely female issue.

It's to appease women who want to practice and assert misogyonist views over women and disassociate themselves from women.

The ideological premise is male supremacist. It seeks to demean women to a lesser status. It seeks to shield female perpetrators of this ideology as separate from the dirty business of womanliness.

Women = biologically inferior. If we do not name women we can not be lowered to the status of women. They are othered. Yet at the same time do not conform to make standards of feminity.

It's all about the male gaze in this sense. Or escaping the male gaze.

Women can not take ownership of their own being. It is imposed upon them by factors which promote maleness over femaleness.

Someone who identifies as ‘non binary or a transman’ and is pregnant KNOWS they are female!

Yes. I do generally agree with all of this. But I still think it’s important to clarify that the people this language is appeasing are women. Whether their reasons are sexist and misogynistic or whatever else, they’re still women.

Although possibly all moot because I don’t actually believe it’s transmen and women who identify as non-binary pushing for this language change. Maybe I’m wrong about that though. I’d be surprised if it was.

What about being inclusive of otherkin? Maybe midwives should become "mid-beings" 🤔

Or do otherkin go to the vet when they get pregnant?

I disagree. I would be very surprised indeed if the majority of trans men and non-binary identifying females were in support of this language. I think it's been driven by biological men who want to appropriate the word "woman" and can't bear it being used in relation to anything that is exclusively female. And by the woke women who think they have to #bekind and let them.

The only term I will accept is "pregnant woman / women". Only women can get pregnant.

Midwife is fine.

Why are you pandering to people taking the piss? Doing the most female/woman thing ever then playing the victim because you call them a woman? And instead if acknowledging you've been had the solution is to double down further.

Maternity care is where women find out just how bad health care can be for women and no way on earth should that be allowed to be hidden by being unable to talk about who it happens to.

A transman is just as likely as any other woman to get a rough ride. Being able to hide poor outcomes under the guidelines of gender inclusivity harms them.

Its not inclusive language its a way to hide shirty healthcare and all the problems by removing language we need ti talk about it.

Don't do it

So "midwife" would be "midbirthingperson" ?

Midbirthingfolx.

I would write back to them starting my email with

Dear arsehole people.

It's inclusive.

“I think I'd be more OK with "women and people who are pregnant".

No, the word “women” is quite sufficient and more inclusive. Trans people are a tiny percentage of the population and seem to be aware of what type of genitals benefit from maternity or gynaecology services. People for whom English is a foreign language are far more numerous and more likely to be confused by phrases such as “birthing people”.

,genius! And oh so true, 😂😂😂