Lang, Raven (1942–)
Lang, Raven (1942–)
American midwife. Born Patricia Lang, Dec 17, 1942, in San Francisco, CA; dau. of Emma Parenti Lang; graduate of San Francisco City College, 1962; attended Tokyo College of Oriental Medicine; m. Ken Kinzie, 1966; children: 2.
Pioneer who reestablished the legitimacy of lay midwifery in US, opened the Santa Cruz (CA) Birth Center which offered prenatal care (1971); questioned the "medicalization" of childbirth and served as a childbirth educator; faced widespread opposition from Santa Cruz physicians who opposed midwifery births; demonstrated competency of trained midwives at symposium (1972); served as a midwife in Vancouver, British Columbia (1973–76); directed Institute of Feminine Arts, a CA state-certified college for midwifery (1978–84); practiced traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture in Santa Cruz; wrote the immensely popular Birth Book (1972).