Movies

Call the Midwife confronts a brutal reality in an unflinching new storyline this week

BBG News

The beloved series “Call the Midwife” returns for its 14th season, once more prepared to stir our emotions deeply.

The third episode of this season delved into deeply ingrained social problems, focusing on internalized ableism – the neglect of children because they have disabilities, shedding light on these issues with compassion and unwavering focus.

For numerous individuals with disabilities who often encounter insensitive responses regarding their condition as a supposed burden, this situation likely struck an emotional chord.

A newborn baby girl arrives to a first-time mother filled with anticipation and joy. Yet, during delivery, the attending midwife detects an anomaly on the infant’s lower back, which is later diagnosed as spina bifida – a congenital condition that results in an opening in the spine.

Immediately after birth, the newborn baby girl was swiftly carried away to the hospital for examination and immediate surgery, bypassing any chance for her first moments in her mother’s embrace. A short while later, a midwife entered the mother’s room at the maternity home, finding her preparing to depart.

Upon being asked, she expresses, with a heavy heart in her tone, that she is unable to look after the baby and will be returning home instead. They, along with the child’s father, feel that it would be more suitable for the state to provide care for their child due to the challenges they face in parenting a disabled child.

The swift and unsettling distance taken by the parents towards their daughter, coupled with their hidden distaste for her disability, was skillfully portrayed. While we empathize with their hardship, the audience is also struck by a profound sense of disgust as the parents seem to abandon their newborn so effortlessly and hastily. Not once did they hold or glance at her, nor did they give her a name; instead, it was the nuns who named her June later on.

Initially struggling to grasp the situation, the parents appear stunned by their child’s condition. It seems clear that deep-seated prejudices towards disability, which they have internalized – often due to societal misconceptions – have influenced their reaction. Internalized ableism refers to a type of oppression that arises from accepting common negative beliefs about disability. These attitudes were particularly pervasive, harmful, and unchallenged during the mid-20th century.

If this mindset goes unchecked, it may lead to exactly the situations portrayed on-screen – the neglect or dismissal of individuals with disabilities, including our own kin. The series “Call the Midwife” has effectively mirrored such sentiments during the ’50s and ’60s throughout its duration.

In today’s world, there’s still much progress to be made regarding representation of people with disabilities, whether on-screen or in everyday life. Compared to our current understanding, our perception of disability in the past was significantly less developed, leading many parents to abandon their children if they were born with a disability.

Many kids were placed in institutions rather than staying with their families, as depicted in an episode from the third season. An example of this was a young girl with Down’s syndrome who got pregnant while residing in one such institution.

Throughout the show’s duration, we’ve frequently encountered the topic of ableism. This was notably apparent during the extended Thalidomide storyline, skillfully executed, and when Fred and Violet initially met their adopted son Reggie, expressing uncertainty about how Down’s syndrome would influence their lives.

The production likewise highlights the challenges faced by social service agencies. Once the parents relinquish custody of June, a social worker from the state arrives at the maternity home, explaining that they are unable to take her because of the extra “financial strain” involved in providing for her care.

The social worker contends that the parents should assume responsibility for her, since they have the necessary funds to provide for her.

Although presented with significantly enhanced home care options surpassing current UK standards, these parents stubbornly resist change, asserting that providing care for their child might impede their ability to have additional children in the future.

The reactions of both social services and parents towards this cute baby reveal the unconscious ableism that dwells within each of us. Preconceived, unspoken biases lead everyone to presume the child as a potential burden and consider her disability as an insurmountable obstacle to success.

The responses of both social services and parents towards this adorable infant show that we all carry internalized ableism within us. Prejudices hidden beneath the surface cause people to assume that the child may be a burden due to her disability, which they see as an insurmountable barrier to happiness.

No one knows this for sure: through the ableist lens such things are just assumed.

At Nonnatus House, the residents step in temporarily to care for June. Witnessing the baby pass from one caregiver to another, flourishing after a lifesaving operation, can be emotionally challenging. In these moments, we catch glimpses of a fragile infant, too young to express her own needs, being lovingly attended by individuals who have set aside their internalized ableism and truly understand the child – as an innocent, newborn entity.

In time, small June ends up at a convent-run orphanage, finding hope for a fresh start, and she departs with merely a note from her mother detailing the reasons behind her desertion.

The show “Call the Midwife” skillfully delves into the harsh beginnings of a newborn’s life, revealing diverse effects of internalized discrimination towards people with disabilities, all the while underscoring the significance of nurturing every child, regardless of their situation.

Although some viewers might have wished for the parents to face a bit more scrutiny due to their abandonment of an innocent child, the program handles the topic with balance. Everyone’s emotions are acknowledged, and no one is excessively criticized for their choices.

However, the dominant sentiment is sorrow for the child, who faces a future understanding that she was abandoned by her parents due to her disability.

The series doesn’t zero in on just one individual’s reaction or encounter with the child; instead, it provides a comprehensive view by giving each character’s point of view and emphasizing the diverse group of people who contribute to a found child’s story.

Once more, “Call the Midwife” sheds light on a harsh truth: all-too-frequently, deeply ingrained prejudice towards abilities can blind individuals from perceiving the person beyond their disability.

Call the Midwife airs weekly on BBC One on Sundays at 8pm and streams on BBC iPlayer.

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2025-01-21 13:49

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