The rhetoric of midwifery : gender, knowledge, and power / Mary M. Lay.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lay, Mary M.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Midwifery--Minnesota.

Midwifery.

Midwives--Legal status, laws, etc--Minnesota.

Midwives.

Midwifery--Political aspects--Minnesota.

Midwives--Legal status, laws, etc.

Minnesota.

Physical Description:

x, 239 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, [2000]

Summary:

The Rhetoric of Midwifery offers new insights into issues of gender and power within the context of our present-day medical system. As a point of departure, Mary M. Lay analyzes the public discussion over nonacademically trained--or direct-entry--midwives within Minnesota, particularly the state-held public hearings about licensing traditional midwives between 1991 and 1995.

Lay draws on the testimonies of midwives, home-birth parents, nurses, physicians, and attorneys to illustrate various points of view. In addition, the author details the history of midwifery to highlight ongoing concerns that have surfaced since the profession's inception.

Contents:

1 The Current Debate over Direct-Entry Midwifery in the United States 1

2 Rhetorical Analysis and the Midwifery Debates 20

3 The Rhetorical History of Midwifery 43

4 The Minnesota Midwifery Study Advisory Group: Professional Jurisdictions and Boundary Spanning 77

5 Licensing Rules and Regulations: Normalizing the Practice of Midwifery 101

6 Jurisdictional Boundaries: Claiming Authority over Scientific Discourse and Knowledge 131

7 Issues of Gender and Power: The Rhetoric of Direct-Entry Midwifery 170.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-231) and index.

ISBN:

0813527783

0813527791

OCLC:

42072257