The Midwives Act of 1902
The Midwives Act of 1902 regulated the training and occupation of midwives and allowed the newly established Central Midwives Board to issue and revoke certificates, annually post a roll of certified midwives, regulate and restrain any midwife, and carry out all provisions of the act.
Central Midwives Board Certificate, 1920 ( Victorian Collections)
Rules framed by the Central Midwives Board, 1902 ( Welcome Collection)
"After the 1st April, 1905, no woman may call herself a midwife unless certified under the act... After the 1st April, 1910, no woman may practise as a midwife unless certified under the act."
- The Midwives Act of 1902
What are the Effects of the Act?
The Midwives Act of 1902 had many effects on the rights and responsibilities of midwives. It imposed many requirements and restrictions on midwives,
“ She has to keep a record of cases ; she is to send an official notification to the Local Supervising Authority in cases of a death or still-birth occurring in her practice ( when a registered medical practitioner is not in attendance). When she sends for a doctor in case of abnormality or emergency she has also to send a copy of the notice to the Local Supervising Authority. If she attends a case out of her district she will also have to notify [the Local Supervising Authority]” -The Midwives Act of 1902
Their freedom was further limited by the requirement to ask permission to work outside of their designated areas. These restrictions highlighted the subordinate role of Midwives in medicine and cemented the perspective that they were assistants to doctors instead of the main practitioner
The act made it a crime for anyone but a certified midwife or medically supervised woman to attend childbirth which greatly impacted the number of independent midwives.
“The issue with limiting the number of midwives is that midwives are a necessity. There are too many birthing women and not enough certified practitioners to attend them all. The increased limitations on midwives and removal of certifications just mean that you're taking away the competent and leaving the incompetent because midwives will exist, legal or not” - Sister Katherine Twining
The act strengthened the responsibility of midwives to ensure safe childbirth but limited their rights to practice freely