Save the Midwife

Auckland, 1986. Signed copy. Previous owner's inscription on inside page. Some wear and foxing.

In this book, Joan Donley explores the various options involved in birthing as well as the history of natural and unnatural childbirth in New Zealand over the course of the 20th century. She traces the takeover of childbirth by medical men armed with forceps and sedation, and their relentless undermining of the status of the midwife and the power of the women who give birth.