is 'there' the place or idea that a woman would hold that birth is natural, wholesome and inherently safe?
anyway, here's how i think about these "numbers"--
if midwives state "every woman needs a midwife" then 100% of pregnant women get midwives, which means midwives get clients and will continue to get clients as long as clients believe that midwives are absolutely needed. "yes, birth is safe, if you have a midwife."
if midwives state "not everyone woman needs a midwife, but we are highly trained and available for those who do want or need one." then women will get the idea that they don't need midwives. the idea would be "women can birth safely on their own, but we're here if they need/want us." this might encourage them to UC--and say this encouragement means that only 50% of women use midwives.
midwives loose clients. maybe not in the present, but eventually, midwives loose clients.
this is not anti-midwife in any way. it's just the bear bones. if people could, for example, become educated with out going to school, does that not decrease the number of students in schools, and therefore decrease the need for teachers?
one of the reasons that my friend, who is a teacher, is so against homeschooling is "if everyone homeschooled their kids, or even half of the people homeschooled their kids, then i would likely be out of a job!" She's right, afterall. now, this isn't her whole reasoning--but it is part of that reasoning.
this isn't to say that being a teacher, being a midwife, or whatever is 'bad'--i think that school is a good idea in part because not everyone can or wants to homeschool. similarly, not everyone wants to or can UC, and thus midwifery and OB care are important.
but if more than half of the population of women decided that they prefered UC, then yes, ultimately midwives would loose clients. And if, after many generations, the precentages were 'only 10-15% of women who are pregnant utilize midwives" then that means that there are fewer clients to go around. The industry shrinks. Midwives loose clients.
So, in my opinion, it is one of the reasons why midwives, like OBs, hospitals, etc assert the "need" for their services in drastic ways (fueling fear of injury or death). they want to create job security. that's an aspect of it.
is midwifery a luxury? sadly, it is right now. i find that very upsetting. i wish that more insurance companies and that public assistance would support midwifery care. i find it very valuable for women and definately much better than a medical-model of birth. For any woman who doesn't want to UC or doesn't feel that she can, i fully support whatever decision that she makes--but i also wish that midwifery care were an option for her via her insurance or other form of coverage, and not an expense that might force her to choose something other than what she truly wants.
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