Religion and Tradition vs. Western Ideals

"Your Destiny is to Care for a Pregnant Woman" by Wilson seems to draw a distinct line between two infrastructures of pregnancy: hospitals and midwifes. Pregnant women in Guatemala can choose between the two methods of pregnancy, but in general, traditional midwives are chosen first and hospitals are later visited if problems occur during the pregnancy. In this sense, hospitals and midwives appear to co-exist, but why not combine the best of both worlds? It is easy to say this of course, but difficult to implement.

The receptionist at the National Hospital suggests that midwives join pregnant women at hospitals. The fact that this has not happened yet—is it due to a lack of communication between hospitals and midwives? Or is it that the joining of two different systems is a radical idea? Do hospitals feel that midwives would just be in the way if they arrived at the hospital? Would midwives feel uncomfortable joining their patients at the hospital and working in conjunction with physicians and nurses? It’s hard to say, because hospitals do offer educational courses for midwives, and midwives attend these classes. In other words, there is some overlap between the two systems already, and this may progress further in the future, perhaps leading to midwives joining their patients during pregnancy. Also, if midwives begin entering the hospital in this manner, they would be able to learn how physicians treat pregnant women.

Of course, the midwives may not possess the tools to implement what they learn from physicians. Therefore, the next question that comes to mind is how to better supply the small population of midwives in Guatemala? It’s not a profitable job, so midwives cannot be expected to obtain their own tools, such as sterile gloves. This problem might be solved by training more midwives, especially in villages lacking them, so that midwives won’t have to travel great lengths and spend the majority of their money on travel. However, the training of midwives is costly, and most women feel that it is a calling given to them by God, as opposed to a career that they can choose to practice.

“Someone is Making you Sick” by Harris describes how people “resist change” to new ideas, which is similar to how most Mayan women prefer traditional midwives and feel uncomfortable in the new setting of a hospital (31). It’s unfair to consider Mayan ways primitive, because Guatemala is just being exposed to Western ideas and we can’t expect the Mayans to automatically accept the scientific explanations of the modern world. Imagine holding a certain belief for 60 years; wouldn’t you naturally doubt something different? In the case of the household with contagious cholera, modern medicine speaks the truth, but how would you prove that to someone hearing about the spread cholera for the first time? Especially when you’re speaking about microorganisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye. (Although, I wouldn’t claim that the artes magicas can be seen either, but people have grown up believing this and religion has more sway in the Mayan world).

In essence, science is equivalent to a new religion for the Mayans. And for anyone, changing your religion is not an easy transition. Especially, when religion is a way of life as opposed to set of beliefs that you agree with, as it often is in the U.S.