Childbirth ControversiesThe United States still has one of the highest infant mortality rates, as reported by the CIA World Fact Book "US 6.06 per 1,000" (Field Listing, 2008 p .1), compared to other high-income countries that employ midwives as a base for low-risk pregnant women. Research shows that midwife-attended births involve fewer interventions, lower cesarean rates and offer more personal care for pregnant women. The problem with the current form of obstetric care in the United States is the uncritical acceptance of an unscientific method: the routine use of interventional obstetrics for healthy women with normal pregnancies as opposed to an obstetric model of care for pregnant women . Should the medical establishment and insurance companies accept obstetric practice, as a whole, for low-risk pregnant women? To answer this question we need to examine the history of midwives, how midwives were banished from mainstream medical care, and the fight to regain midwifery in the United States today. The history of the midwife dates back to the beginning of time, although many things have changed in the last century with the way women give birth. “The word midwife comes from Middle English, meaning “with woman,” as told by Mrs. McGinnis, (1998,B19) and in French, the term midwife is Sage-Femme meaning “wise woman.” Childbirth has always been one of the most basic human experiences. The first recorded example of a midwife is in the Bible: "And it came to pass, when she had so much difficulty in giving birth, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not, for this also is a son unto you." (Genesis 35:17) The Medical Act of 1858 established who was able to practice, although it excluded women from institutions that would allow them to sa...... middle of paper ......ed by EBSCOhost.Magenis, M. (January 10, 2019) 1998). Mothering Relieves Labor Pain. The Times, p.B19(1). Retrieved July 2, 2011, from Health Reference Center Academic via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.bpl. .org/gtx/start.do?prodId=HRCA&userGroupName=mlin_b_bpublicPercival, R. (1979). Management of normal work, 1221Reaves, J. (2010, September 24). . New York Times. P. 23A. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.River and Mountain. (2010). Frequently asked questions [River and mountain]. Retrieved July 2, 2011, from http://www.riverandmountain.net/faq.shtmlStephen, H. (2008, January 9). American motherhood and the issue of home birth. New York Times. P. 8. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.