Women Must Deliver Babies Without Midwives or Doctors Under New Law
This latest violation of women’s rights ensures their death
When I didn’t believe the government of Afghanistan could inflict any more horror on its women; when I thought refusing to allow women to speak in public or visit a park was as bad as it could get, the Taliban issued their worst law to date. They banned women from midwife and nursing courses.
Since the Taliban has prohibited male doctors from treating women and women are not allowed to leave their homes alone, this latest law is not just an atrocity. It’s a death sentence.
Pregnancy, childbirth, and death
Midwives were already on my mind when I learned of this latest edict. I had just finished reading The Frozen River, an historical novel of an 18th century midwife. The book provides a detailed look at 18th century pregnancy and the travails women went through to give birth, reinforcing my contention that birthing babies was not then and is not now a piece of cake.
Maybe because I had just read The Frozen River, this latest Taliban cruelty resonated more deeply. But you don’t need a book to realize women giving birth without benefit of midwives or doctors will be a death sentence for some.
