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- Welcome to POV.
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I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS
Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
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Midwifery is one of the world's
oldest occupations.
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Studies have shown that the care
midwives have provided
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during the birthing process have
greatly reduced mortality rates
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for both moms and babies
during childbirth.
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But as you will see in tonight's
film Arrest the Midwife,
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the profession
is not without controversy.
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The film's lead actor
is Elizabeth Catlin,
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a popular certified midwife
from upstate New York,
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where her services
were greatly appreciated
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in the Mennonite community.
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Catlin was not a Mennonite,
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but was respected
in the community
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and had a great reputation
among women
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who are encouraged to give birth
at home.
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Catlin has played a part
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in roughly half of the region's
births for many years.
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But in 2018, she transported a
woman in labor to the hospital.
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The baby was born, but died
shortly after due to sepsis.
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The family did not hold Catlin
responsible,
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much less want
to see her prosecuted,
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but she was arrested
months later
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and indicted
on 95 felony counts,
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which included
criminal homicide.
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These charges created an outrage
in the Mennonite community,
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sparking serious
grassroots activism
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in the form of a
letter-writing campaign,
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along with members of the
community pulling together
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to pay for Catlin's legal fees.
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Arrest the Midwife is directed
and produced by Elaine Epstein,
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a native of South Africa
who splits her time
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between Cape Town
and Brooklyn, New York.
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The director prides herself
on telling stories of those
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whose voices are
underrepresented.
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You'd expect nothing less
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from someone who founded a
company called Underdog Films.
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Epstein says the project
is a result
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of her personal experience.
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When deciding to start a family
years ago,
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Epstein says she and her wife
followed the trad route
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of using modern medicine
for childbirth.
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She was alarmed
at how impersonal
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and detached the process felt.
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When a friend of the couples
recommended midwifery,
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the director says everything
about it felt different,
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adding that the couple felt
listened to
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and it was a much more
personal process.
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But when they went
to have their second child,
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she realized the midwife unit
had been shut down
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at her local hospital.
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She looked into it
and came to the conclusion
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that it all came down to money.
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Her anger was the origin
of tonight's film.
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The first challenge for Epstein
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was to gain accessibility
to the families.
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So, she sat down with them
for an in-depth talk
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long before she brought
any film equipment with her.
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It proved to be a good move,
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as Elaine was able
to gain rare access
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to this very private community.
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The director contrasts
the intimacy
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and simplicity of home births
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with the dysfunction
that can happen
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while trying to navigate
government bureaucracies.
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Epstein enhanced her visuals
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with a beautifully composed,
inspiring score,
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showing her heroes rise up
and take a stand
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in a community not known
for speaking up or activism.
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So, let's sit back and watch
this moving film
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from a director who speaks up
for underdogs through her films.
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She's got another good one.
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Arrest the Midwife starts now
on PBS Wisconsin,
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your home for independent film.