As an anthropologist, I come at health issues "from the bottom up" and often approach questions of ethics, morality, health and power in ways that differ from my colleagues in philosophy, law and medicine.

Giving birth in a sterile hospital room under the care of a physician is the gold standard for most Westerners, but should this approach be unconditionally replicated in the developing world? Anthropologist Gwynne Jenkins thinks not. She sees birth as a normal, everyday biosocial affair and believes that international health agencies should think twice before "biomedicalizing" the birthing of babies.

"The choice of a traditional midwife, as well as the location where a baby will be born, are seldom considered reproductive rights," she notes, but she wants to make sure those rights are respected.

Traditional midwives are often perceived as obstacles to safe births and mothers' health. However, in Costa Rica, Jenkins found that far from being obstacles, midwives played critical roles for women."They helped women access hospitals in unanticipated ways and served as safety nets for women who chose to stay home," she says. Instead of just tracking the effects of reproductive health policies, Jenkins wants to become more directly involved in shaping and transforming them.