Midwife Nuns

[ToJesusMyHeart]

Is there an order of nuns that do midwifery and/or doula-ing?

 

Not the Anglican ones on Call the Midwife. ;)

[Cherie]

I have never found or heard of any; not in this country, at least ... but my goodness, doesn't that sound like a beautiful apostolate? Maybe I'm biased as a mother, but I can't tell you how wonderful it would have been for me to deliver my children into the arms of a Sister, or to have labor support from a consecrated religious!

[brandelynmarie]

I once read an article or a book about a School Sister of Notre Dame who was a mid-wife in Texas. :) Her name was Sister Marcella Garcia....

[ToJesusMyHeart]

I'm sure there are nuns who are mid-wives, but I'm curious if there is a specific order whose sole (or primary) work is midwifery. 

[brandelynmarie]

Wouldn't that be an amazing community to bring into being? :) I wonder if the Sisters of Life ever thought about it...

[ToJesusMyHeart]

I'm in application with them. I will bring it up next time I talk to them. 

[Gabriela]

I don't know, but that show Call the Midwife sure is awesome. ;-)

[salveregina10]

Great question!  We have many Sisters around the world who minister as midwives.  It has been one of our apostolates for quite a while, in addition to other medical, educational, and pastoral work.  If you would like to know more about us, this is our website:

Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing - http://www.osb-tutzing.it/

[Graciela]

Sr. Angela Murdaugh was a Certified Nurse Midwife who started Holy Family Birth Center in Texas decades ago.  I do not recall her community but several vowed religious who were sisters of various orders worked there in the past. There are no sisters there now but the work continues and it is a place that allows volunteer experiences too for nurses and midwives and possibly for doulas.

 

The Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood (in Surrey UK) had many missionary sisters who were nurse-midwives, but also had missionary teachers (I believe).

The Medical Mission Sisters have had both physicians and nurse-midwives among their sisters and their emphasis is predominantly medical mission work. 

 

 

[Nunsuch]

So, I am new to this Phorum, and this is my first posting!

 

Did you know that, until 1936, sisters were forbidden to study to be doctors or to engage in midwifery, because it was considered a violation of the vow of chastity?  [I am not joking.] The person who "lobbied" the Vatican most actively for the change in policy was Mother Anna Dengel, foundress of the Medical Mission Sisters (she was already a doctor before the community was founded).  So, until after that, it would have been impossible for sisters to train to be midwives. I agree it is a beautiful AND appropriate ministry for them.  

 

There 

Edited September 29, 2013 by Nunsuch

[Graciela]

Welcome nunsuch!  I remember reading that about Mother Anna Dengel MD.

 

I think some  sisters today might object to the education necessary to become qualified and certified in nurse-midwifery in the USA.  The required content includes knowledge of all birth control methods and demonstrating the ability to prescribe and manage them as part of gyn care.  I cannot imagine any Sisters of Life tolerating learning about birth control pills even just to get through an education program so they could provide prenatal and childbirth care. However, I had sisters who taught me in nursing and midwifery school so they had successfully completed the education and certification and were pioneers in providing care to poor women,babies and families.

Edited September 29, 2013 by Graciela

[Nunsuch]

I wonder if there are Catholic medical schools that would not require training in birth control?  Of course, simply knowing the technology and medical details is not the same thing as advocating the use of birth control. And it might be argued that knowing the technology and science might make them more knowledgeable and effective advocates for opposing their use.

[Gabriela]

I wonder if there are Catholic medical schools that would not require training in birth control?  Of course, simply knowing the technology and medical details is not the same thing as advocating the use of birth control. And it might be argued that knowing the technology and science might make them more knowledgeable and effective advocates for opposing their use.

 

:welcome:

[maximillion]

There is stuff taught as part of nurse training that goes against church teaching, and while to get your qualification you need to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of such, there is no requirement to engage with these practices. The same can be said for midwifery.

 

 

In addition, my understanding of the SOL is that they undertake care of pregnant women both ante and post natal.....some of them must be midwives.

 

There are ways around all of these things, and opt outs on grounds of religious objection are available.

[Antigonos]

As a certified nurse midwife myself, I have got to say that while I would expect that some nursing sisters might work in maternity care, I think there would be multiple conflicts of interest for them to be midwives completely and for them to adhere to Church teaching entirely. Certainly I cannot imagine any medical school actually not teaching particular subjects and yet having its graduates be able to pass licensing exams.

AFAIK, the Church does not have the "escape clause" that Jews have: ALL religious requirements and commandments may, indeed, must, be abrogated when a life needs to be saved (pikuch nefesh). A case in point is the recent Irish case where a Catholic doctor refused a woman a lifesaving abortion and she subsequently died. There are Jewish doctors who oppose abortion ( Jewish Law does permit abortio within cerain parameters, btw, but not everyone accepts the rabbinical authority which made the ruling) but they will always find another doctor to care for the patient in such a medically urgent situation if it arises and they, in conscience, will not perform one.

Moreover, there are medical situations where a pregnancy is, without doubt, a death sentence for a woman and so contraception is essential. It would be unethical for a doctor to say either "I am choosing for you because I have religious beliefs which prohibit contraception" or "I can't prescribe for you because I never learned about contaception due to my beliefs in this matter". If the patient herself chooses, against medical advice, that is a different matter. (in fact, I had a neighbor, when I was a child, who had a kind of cancer which mandated against pregnancy because it was hormone-dependent. She and her husband, both devout Catholics, would not use contraception other than NFP; she became pregnant while getting chemotherapy; she died as the cancer's growth increased rapidly, and the baby was born with defects incompatible with life because of the chemo. The widower was left with 7 children to raise on his own. But SHE made the decsion, not a doctor)

I think there is definitely a role for religious to play in supporting women who are convalescing after birth, as well as educating women in improving their health and that of their children, in helping overburdened women to cope, and so on, but it is unrealistic to expect them to have to cope with situations that bring them into potential conflict with the Church.

[CatherineM]

My spiritual director is a midwife. Her order has lots of nurses. She's working in an aids clinic in Africa now trying to keep the babies born to infected moms from getting it. She has developed arthritis in her hands so they don't let her midwife any more in fear she might drop a baby.

[Pia Jesu]

Several years ago, I met a Felician Sister (from Poland) who was a certified nurse-midwife.  She was preparing to

go to Kenya.  The community has a sizeable web presence and contacting them might well answer the question about

medical school curriculum/church teachings on contraception, etc.

[Sister Marie]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the above posts but its completely acceptable to learn about something even though one is morally opposed to actually using it and won't once certified.  If you have to have knowledge of birth control to pass a test to do a job there's nothing wrong with knowing it.  If one was required to use that knowledge by prescribing it in order to be certified there would be a problem.  

 

I don't know anything about midwifery but if its an issue of learning about something there is no need for a special program for catholics who are opposed to birth control.  In fact, its good to know the science and facts behind these practices in order to find better ways to help people.

 

I've had to learn all the constitutional law behind banning prayer in schools for my degree program.  Obviously, prayer is a daily part of a Catholic school but I didn't do anything immoral by studying all the reasons why its illegal to pray in catholic school.

[AnneLine]

Really good discussion, and so many good points!

 

I know personally of one community that told the sisters who were studying to be nurses (just 30 years ago) to 'learn as little as possible to pass the test; you'll never use it anyway because we don't do maternity or have the Sisters care for men in our hospital... we have lay nurses to do that.  Learning more about reproduction and/or men well could be a threat to your vocation." 

 

Now, I had objections to that then, and even more now... because you just never know.  You never know when you would NEED that knowledge in an emergency... or when some woman who presents herself for care is REALLY suffering from something that is related to her reproductive system that is presenting in an atypical way.  If God wants someone to be a nurse, I would trust God can care for the Sister's vocation....

 

Having said that... I know people who where trained as secular counselors, and learned all the stuff counselors need to know... and were assured that there were/are/would be exceptions for those with moral scruples against things like clients who wanted referrals for abortions or other issues that for a good reason they were NOT comfortable. 

 

BUT.... since the time their training has finished, laws and ethics have changed... and it is now NOT possible for many counselors in my state to take that stand.  I know people who have decided NOT to get licensed given the current situation.    They are being told to 'fly under the radar', don't make stand until you are licensed, just sign the ethics statement with a mental reservation, don't make it obvious what you are doing or not doing, and do what your conscience tells you.   I can't speak for others, but if it were me, I would not be comfortable with that stance, any more than I would be with 'learn the minimum to get licensed and pray it doesn't affect your vocation.' 

 

In both situations, I would rather NOT practice than have to deal with a huge conflict of interest/values/ethics like that.

 

I can easily see a nurse-midwife in exactly the same situation.   Sad, but true....

[sisleap]

I am a Nurse Practitioner, and although I had to test on the knowledge, I did not have to prescribe or make referrals contradictiory to my faith during clinicals. As an employee and on contract, I always noted up front that I would not prescribe nor make referrals. It is important to need to learn the knowledge, but not have to perform the procedures or prescribe. It would be necessary to know how to remove the IUDs and other implants and handle complications of procedures and prescriptions.