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Article: Giving birth in a climate of fear.
- Article from:
- Women's Health Activist
- Article date:
- July 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 National Women's Health Network. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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For some women, giving birth is a personally affirming and gratifying experience--a life-changing event, an accomplishment that instills a sense of agency and power. Unfortunately, too few women experience birth in this way Although a basic biological process, childbirth is invested with layers of social and cultural meaning. In the United States today, the cultural associations include a pervading sense of fear and shame about the female body and its functions.
While the arrival of the child itself is generally viewed positively, the birth process is not. Childbirth is often seen as a burden and an ordeal, fraught with pain and danger, even disgusting. In a ...