A Discourse Study of Institutional Language in the Home Birth Setting

Very few peer-reviewed papers have been published looking at language in childbirth.  This cross-disciplinary thesis is a small step that examines language from the outside the gatekeepers' perspectives and one where the woman centred perspective is rarely given precedence.  At a time when women's autonomy in birth as in other areas of life is greatly diminished and is continually under threat, this paper identifies some of the threats to birth that women have faced since the eyes of patriarchy turned toward their reproductive autonomy.