3 ms·

We just defunded the College of Midwives in Ontario. $800,000 a year to support a professional organization of 900 people. Somehow, the midwifery profession wa

by jbob2000 8y ago

We just defunded the College of Midwives in Ontario. $800,000 a year to support a professional organization of 900 people. Somehow, the midwifery profession was able to exist for thousands of years before this professional organization existed. I am sure it will be fine without it. The administration, on the other hand....

djmips 8y ago
How is this relavent? This story is about licensed professions in the US
- beauzero 8y ago
  We have the same thing here...CNM...Certified Nurse Midwife
mywittyname 8y ago
I feel like this argument should be a class of fallacy. Lots of things have "existed" for a long time, but that doesn't mean previous iterations were effective. All it proves is that a problem has existed for a long time and people have been attempting to address it. Historically, women frequently died from child birth. Modern medicine has made child birth significantly safer for both mother and child. These advancements need to be disseminated to individuals, and society has a need to determine whether or not a person knows the latest scientifically sound techniques. Professional licensing fulfills this role. Of course, it's more expensive to hire a person whose spent years training. But without some verification, there's going to be a race to the bottom as untrained individuals undercut the competition. And yes, it does act as a barrier to entry for people who could do a great job. But, the risks of hiring an poorly trained midwife are much more serious than those of hiring an untrained software developer. Thus, society is okay with having unlicensed people writing software but isn't okay with unlicensed people treating them for injuries.
- christopheraden 8y ago
  > I feel like this argument should be a class of fallacy. Lots of things have "existed" for a long time, but that doesn't mean previous iterations were effective. This is pretty close to Survivorship Bias (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias). Outcomes of midwifery of yore is no different than present midwifery if you ignore the fatalities and only focus on successful deliveries.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- whoopdedo 8y ago
  It's similar to appeal to antiquity[1]. Easy enough to dismiss: humans have been eating beef for thousands of years so why do we need the USDA? [1] https://www.logicalfallacies.info/relevance/appeals/appeal-to-tradition/ https://www.logicalfallacies.info/relevance/appeals/appeal-t...

djmips 8y ago

How is this relavent? This story is about licensed professions in the US

beauzero 8y ago
We have the same thing here...CNM...Certified Nurse Midwife

mywittyname 8y ago

I feel like this argument should be a class of fallacy. Lots of things have "existed" for a long time, but that doesn't mean previous iterations were effective. All it proves is that a problem has existed for a long time and people have been attempting to address it. Historically, women frequently died from child birth. Modern medicine has made child birth significantly safer for both mother and child. These advancements need to be disseminated to individuals, and society has a need to determine whether or not a person knows the latest scientifically sound techniques. Professional licensing fulfills this role. Of course, it's more expensive to hire a person whose spent years training. But without some verification, there's going to be a race to the bottom as untrained individuals undercut the competition. And yes, it does act as a barrier to entry for people who could do a great job. But, the risks of hiring an poorly trained midwife are much more serious than those of hiring an untrained software developer. Thus, society is okay with having unlicensed people writing software but isn't okay with unlicensed people treating them for injuries.

christopheraden 8y ago
> I feel like this argument should be a class of fallacy. Lots of things have "existed" for a long time, but that doesn't mean previous iterations were effective. This is pretty close to Survivorship Bias (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias). Outcomes of midwifery of yore is no different than present midwifery if you ignore the fatalities and only focus on successful deliveries.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
whoopdedo 8y ago
It's similar to appeal to antiquity[1]. Easy enough to dismiss: humans have been eating beef for thousands of years so why do we need the USDA? [1] https://www.logicalfallacies.info/relevance/appeals/appeal-to-tradition/ https://www.logicalfallacies.info/relevance/appeals/appeal-t...