Birth varies according to time and space. In "Naissance de la clinique; une archéologie du regard médical" Michel Foucault (1963) analyzes the setting up of the clinic. During the second half of the 18th century, clinical medicine took control of a field traditionally occupied by midwives and made it a new discipline: male scientific obstetrics.
If the interest of medicine in birth control began in the 18th century, it was not until the second half of the 19th century that more than 50% of births took place in hospitals under the supervision of doctors. Heir to this history, birth is still a matter of concern in today's French society. Contemporary debates concern in particular the end of the experimentation of birthing centers, which advocate less medicalized childbirth and place the desires of care users and those accompanying them at the center of the debate.
While some of France's neighboring countries have set up non-hospital care for births (at home or in birthing centers), France still relies mainly on hospital care. In fact, less than 1% of births will take place outside hospital in France in 2016 compared to 13.1% in 2016 (and 29.4% in 2007) in Holland. Birth centers and other initiatives in favor of out-of-hospital births are criticized for the risks that these practices can entail for the health of mothers and children. Also with the aim of putting the well-being of care users at the center, the position of childbirth is also controversial.
In France, the standard for gynecological examination and childbirth remains the so-called "gynecological" position described as more advantageous for the practitioner than the parturient. While this position would be associated with less favorable pregnancy outcomes, many countries advocate lateral delivery positions. A little more recently, gynecological and obstetric violence has also been the subject of debate, driven by the hashtag #PayTonUterus. "Gynecological and obstetrical violence is the most serious sexist acts that can occur in the context of gynecological and obstetrical monitoring of women. Sexist acts during gynecological and obstetrical care are gestures, words, practices and behaviors that are performed or omitted by one or more members of the health care staff on a patient during gynecological and obstetrical care and that are part of the history of gynecological and obstetrical medicine, which is marked by the desire to control women's bodies (sexuality and ability to give birth). "(extract from report n°2018-06-26-SAN-034).
Some examples often cited are the practice of vaginal examinations by medical students on anesthetized patients or episiotomies without the free and informed consent of women. Requiring a multidisciplinary perspective, these debates will be the subject of our SID on birth management.
Loading... 
