“Obstetric Violence,” “Mistreatment,” and “Disrespect and Abuse”: Reflections on the Politics of Naming Violations During Facility-Based Childbirth

Pickles, Camilla

Abstract

Naming performs an important function in society. Names shape our reality by creating the means to bring into existence previously unseen events or unacknowledged experiences, and naming impacts how society responds to these. This article interrogates the problem of naming the phenomenon of violence and abuse during childbirth with a focus on three principal concepts: “mistreatment,” “disrespect and abuse,” and “obstetric violence.” Further, drawing from broader feminist literature, it exposes the hidden power struggles that inform the naming process in this context, and it challenges the notion that “mistreatment” and “disrespect and abuse” are suitable dominant discourses. In essence, it argues that should a dominant discourse emerge, it should not be one formulated by the healthcare sector (as is the case with “mistreatment”) given their leading role in abuse and violence during childbirth. Finally, the article highlights that we are in the early stages of understanding this phenomenon and, as such, our communicative framework should be broad enough to include multiple communicative tools including “obstetric violence.”

Citation

Pickles, C. (2023). “Obstetric Violence,” “Mistreatment,” and “Disrespect and Abuse”: Reflections on the Politics of Naming Violations During Facility-Based Childbirth. Hypatia, 38(3), 628-649. https://doi.org/10.1017/hyp.2023.73

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 19, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Oct 18, 2023
• Publication Date: Oct 18, 2023
• Deposit Date: Nov 2, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 2, 2023
• Journal: Hypatia
• Print ISSN: 0887-5367
• Electronic ISSN: 1527-2001
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 38
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 628-649
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/hyp.2023.73
• Keywords: Philosophy; Gender Studies
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1874682