🌀Talk Description

In this closing spiral of the 2026 series, Ruth Ehrhardt and Debs Rhodes open a courageous and necessary conversation about reclaiming the word midwife — a term that has, over time, been co-opted, regulated, and restricted by institutional frameworks.

Historically, midwife simply meant “with woman.” It was a universal name for those who served birth, carried wisdom through generations, and upheld the continuity of care between women and their communities. Today, the term is bound by licensing systems and legal ownership, leaving many traditional and community birth attendants stripped of a word that has always been theirs.

Together, Ruth and Debs will explore how we might restore midwife to its original, sacred meaning — as an identity rooted in service, relationship, and love. This spiral invites reflection, dialogue, and collective imagining toward a language and practice of birth that belongs once again to women, to families, and to humanity.

👤 Speaker Bios

Ruth Ehrhardt is the mother of the True Midwifery space — a traditional midwife, writer, and birth attendant from South Africa. A student and friend of Michel Odent, she has carried his teachings into her life’s work, including The Basic Needs of a Woman in Labour, translated into more than 15 languages. Ruth continues to write, teach, and hold space for women and families around the world.

Deborah Faye (Debs) Rhodes is a holistic independent homebirth midwife based in Spain, teaching at Da-a-Luz Partera Escuela and working internationally. With over 25 years of experience — including 15 years in the UK homebirth world — she advocates for authentic, woman-centred midwifery and the restoration of ancient wisdom in birthwork.