Dialogues, by Jerry Brown: on Families & Children

Jerry Brown: 1978: legalized midwifery despite Cal. Medical Association

"I remember in 1978, a group of us who were lobbying for midwifery and the right of the midwives to attend birth legally in CA had a chance to talk with you. You set up a commission to study alternative birth practices.

"I remember the bill that came out of that, allowing women who weren't part of the medical establishment to assist at birth. It's kind of a preposterous notion that midwifery had to be legalized, but nevertheless, we tried to do exactly that. In response, the CA Medical Association made the bill its number one attack item. So while we may talk about childbirth, this subject is certainly embedded in the whole system of politics, and the money and the corruption that goes with it.