Includes bibliographical references and index.

ACNM and MANA : divergent histories and convergent trends / Robbie Davis-Floyd -- Idealism and pragmatism in the creation of the certified midwife : the development of midwifery in New York and the New York Midwifery Practice Act of 1992 / Maureen May and Robbie Davis-Floyd -- Qualified commodification: the creation of the certified professional midwife / Robbie Davis-Floyd -- "The governor's full support" : legalizing direct-entry midwifery in Florida / Melissa Denmark -- Minnesota direct-entry midwives : achieving legislative success through focusing on families, safety, and women's rights / Mary M. Lay and Kerry Dixon -- Risks, costs, and effects of homebirth midwifery legislation in Colorado / Susan Erikson with Amy Colo -- "Every breath is political, every woman's life a statement" : cross-class organizing for midwifery in Virginia / Christa Craven -- "I'm living my politics" : legalizing and licensing direct-entry midwives in Iowa / Carolyn A. Hough -- Creating a way out of no way : midwifery in Massachusetts / Christine Barbara Johnson -- From calling to career: keeping the social movement in the professional project / Betty-Anne Daviss -- Renegade midwives : assets or liabilities? / Robbie Davis-Floyd and Christine Barbara Johnson -- Home to hospital transport : fractured articulation or magical mandorlas? / Christine Barbara Johnson and Robbie Davis-Floyd -- Why midwives matter : overcoming barriers to caretake the power of birth / Christine Barbara Johnson and Robbie Davis-Floyd.