Framing Birth: Postfeminism in the Delivery Room Academic Article

abstract

• The debates surrounding the practice of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) offer a unique opportunity for rhetorical scholars to consider the complex dynamics of change in healthcare settings. More specifically, what the debates surrounding VBAC illustrate is how a hegemonic institution (the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and its associated physicians and hospitals) responds to advocates for change by domesticating, or containing, feminist arguments for self-determination. This essay offers a feminist rhetorical analysis of the VBAC debates with a focus on the interaction between two argumentative frames, the self-determination frame of feminist activists and the neoliberal risk frame of the medical establishment. The College's rhetoric of containment converts feminist calls for resistance and self-determination into a postfeminist emphasis on patients' responsibilities when managing health risks. 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

authors

• Dubriwny, Tasha

published proceedings

• WOMENS STUDIES IN COMMUNICATION

author list (cited authors)

• Dubriwny, T. N., & Ramadurai, V.

citation count

• 14

complete list of authors

• Dubriwny, Tasha N||Ramadurai, Vandhana

publication date

• January 2013

publisher

• Taylor & Francis  Publisher

published in

• Women's Studies in Communication  Journal

keywords

• Cesarean Section
• Containment Rhetoric
• Postfeminism
• Risk
• Women's Health

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1080/07491409.2013.830168

start page

• 243

end page

• 266

volume

• 36

issue

• 3

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07491409.2013.830168