Statement from the American College of Nurse-Midwives on the Movie "Beware of the Midwife"
This week, Lifetime released “Beware of the Midwife,” a film that depicts a Black midwife hired to assist a couple with the birth of their baby in their home, who then kidnaps the child. The movie casts midwifery, especially home birth midwifery, in a detrimental light, and its release during Black Maternal Health Week is especially harmful due to its negative portrayal of Black midwives.
The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) opposes this film and the harmful messages it communicates. Maternal mortality rates are disproportionately high among Black mothers, often due to lack of adequate care and racial disparities that create gaps between health care professionals and patients. Midwifery and Black midwives specifically have played a critical role in improving birth outcomes in the Black community. This film’s biased message is detrimental to efforts to expand midwifery care and foster trust among our patients and health care colleagues.
ACNM is aware of a Change.org petition to have the movie removed from Lifetime and encourages signing of this petition.