A deeper look at history explains why when it comes to midwife use, the US falls behind other affluent countries. Read more in ProPublica's story here: https://www.propublica.org/article/midwives-study-maternal-neonatal-care And catch their latest in maternal mortality reporting here: https://www.propublica.org/series/lost-mothers Despite spending more per capita on health care than any other country, the U.S. has the highest rate of deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth in the industrialized world. But what makes maternal healthcare in other affluent countries look so different than the U.S.? Among other things, midwives. Midwives in the U.S. participate in less than 10 percent of births. But in Sweden, Denmark and France, they lead around three quarters of deliveries. In Great Britain, they deliver half of all babies, including all three of Kate Middleton’s. So if the midwifery model works for royal babies, why not our own? Check out the video above to find out how midwives have been at the center of a culture war that’s deeply rooted in race and class in America. Subscribe to the ProPublica newsletter: http://go.propublica.org/weekly Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO In our Vox+ProPublica collaboration, we create deep-dive, investigative video storytelling fueled by ProPublica's reporting. You can read the reporting at https://www.propublica.org/, and watch the rest of the series on YouTube at http://bit.ly/2wfVG5Z. Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com/ Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H Or on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o