The two most essential services provided to rural areas are education and health care. Not only do they preserve culture and life, but also they contribute greatly to the economic base of rural communities through provision of employment, construction and maintenance of facilities, local purchase of consumables, and the drawing of people into a community. The subject of this paper, midwifery, is one such option that is practiced in many countries and has both practitioners and advocates in Manitoba, but is the subject of controversy both within and outside of the medical profession.