For the most part, Duggar women are very strongly encouraged to eschew careers in favor of devoting their adult years to child-rearing. There is, however, a short list of money-making endeavors that they’re permitted to pursue. At the top of the list is midwife work, which is one of the few professional avenues open to Duggar women. (The other one is flipping cars or otherwise assisting in one of Jim Bob’s many business ventures, but this is only permissible until such time as the woman finds a suitable sperm donor.) So Jill Duggar has continued working as a midwife even after tying the knot with Derick Dillard. Insiders say Jana Duggar recently followed in her sisters’ footsteps and is now delivering babies in and around her native Tontitown, Arkansas. And like Jill, it seems that Jana has yet to obtain the proper licensure. The Duggars have long taken a rather libertarian approach to state and local ordinances. For example, Jim Bob has pissed off his neighbors numerous times by basically ignoring zoning regulations. Of course, delivering babies is a pretty high stakes procedure, so the Duggars’ neighbors are a bit less forgiving of the alleged gaps in Jill and Jana’s training. To be fair, no one is claiming that the women didn’t receive any kind of training at all. It’s just that it appears they went through the sort of un-regulated faith-based program that the Duggars prefer for, well … everything. “This is hands-on apprenticeship style,” Jill once said in reference to her training. “So we are really getting in there and getting to experience what the midwifery and doula roles look like, hands-on.” Jill defenders have frequently pointed to the above photo, which does show Jill proudly displaying a certificate to work as a midwife. But the photo doesn’t tell the whole story. Jill is holding a Certified Professional Midwife’s competency license, which is very different from a Certified Nurse Midwife license, generally considered the standard in her field. So she and Jana might be able to work as midwife’s assistants, but they’re not qualified to perform such work on their own. The situation has attracted a considerable amount of controversy in recent weeks for a number of reasons: 1. Jill’s midwifing mentor, Vanessa Giron, is currently being sued by a mom who claims she nearly died during her deliver. (Sources say Jill was on hand for the delivery.) On top of that, it’s now rumored that several other Duggar daughters are beginning careers as midwives. Needless to say, this situation may not resolve itself as quickly and quietly as the Duggars are hoping. View Slideshow: The Duggars: Abusing Their Own Kids With Twisted “Pearl Method” Parenting
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Duggar Women: Are They Working as Midwives … Without Licenses?!
