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Minister's wifeTells storyPartera, midwifeWHITEWATER—She itarted at the age of 14. helping other womento bring their babies into the world Now, at the age of 72. her deliveries” number 12.000Up until now the story of La Partera. the midwife has been known only to the people living in one area of New Mexico But a book published recently by a United Church of Christ minister at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater may change all that Entitled La Partera The Story of a Midwife. the book was written by Fran Buss, who works at the Shalom Campus Ministry at UW-Whitewater with her husband. Dave, and the several clergy representing other faithsTHE BOOK which Fran beganwhile she was working at a small community campus in New Mexico, captures the life of one woman whose special skills are unknown to many in a country where birth without the presence of a doctor has become rareA midwife simply aids in the birth process, delivering the baby at the mother's home without the aid of medications.The death rate was high, but that was attributed to the extreme poverty more than the midwives When modern medicine arrived on the scene it was impressed with the midwives La Partera has pulled through several two-pound babies, explained Fran Why did she choose to write her first book about a midwife?I knew several women who had babies with her, and I said some body should write the story of her life We tried for a year and a half to get somebody to do it in Spanish Finally, I decided to do It In English, said Fran Fran used a tape recorder to gather the story of La Partera. and she soon found that her subject had more to offer than tales about delivering babies She was a shepherd as a child, und she raised two children of her own. plus her sister’s.” Fran ex plained She was also a migrant worker, and she built a small maternity clinic at night while she worked in a parachute factory during the day. Now she cares for retarded adults.FRANS SAYS her real-life heroof Laine also does general social service* for the community, such as helping people who have problems collecting welfareThe story of La Patera, Fran soon learned, involved more than conversations on a tape recorder She actually assisted in some births, and took photographs, as well.To get her story into print, Fran looked around for a publisher who might be intereMeiJ in the subject She first wrote the University of Michigan Press, which was enthusiastic about the chance to publish La Partera The writing took four years, says Fran, and taught her a lessonAfter all that. I found out that I loved writing and oral history so much that I’ve been working on It solid ever since. she saidToday Fran is immersed in research for her latest offering, entitled Dignity Lives and Struggles of Lower Income Women in America. To get her unique story, she has travelled all over the country, taping conversations and viewing the lives of poor women close up Financial help has come from the United Church of Christ and an advancefrom the University of Michigan PressShe hopes to have the new book ready for sale within the next two or three years, but first there is the small task of sorting through the 200 tapes (90 minutes each) and actually writing the book. Fran estimates that transcribing each tape takes about five hours.That’s the slowest part of It, she admittedFRAN SAID her research for Dignity has turned up several interesting facts about poor women She has found that—Poor women are the most vulnerable segment of society, particularly when it comes to sexual or racial discrimination;—Poor women are stuck in the worst jobs and receive the lowest pay They often have children at a young age and quickly become tied down.—They rely heavily on family and friends for mutual support—They experience a large amount of violence, including muggings and rapesOn the positive side, says Fran, poor women exhibit a common attitudeit's a dignity, despite being put down on all the levels of what our society calls success,” she explained.I was amazed at how hard they work, she added They do an incredible amount of labor.ONE EXAMPLE was a blackwoman in Alabama, who works all night in a mill and spends her days caring for four children and participating in union activities The daughter of a sharecropper, she was married at 16.She’s a very inspiring kind of person who’s done a lot of good. said Fran.Fran, who has three children of her own. says she is so wrapped up in her latest book that she even dreams about her interviews.I'm sitting with a different person every night, and we’re just talking, she says.While the ministry has been satisfying for Fran, her new life as an author has brought her added happiness.It’s the hardest kind of work I can do and it’s extremely satisfying,” she saidFran Buss, author
Newspaper Details
Kenosha News
Kenosha, Wisconsin, US
Fri, Jul 25, 1980
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Susun W.
USA 13 Apr 2024
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