Parturition

Definition

The process of giving birth.

Ethical Language Guidance

Gender History

Medical terminology around childbirth has historically centered on male physicians' authority while erasing midwifery—predominantly female labor. The clinical distance of 'parturition' reflects this male-gaze medicalization of female reproductive work.

Inclusive Usage

Use neutral medical term as-is, but acknowledge midwifery and birth workers when discussing maternal care history or practice.

Inclusive Alternatives

["childbirth","labor"]

Empowerment Note

Midwifery, practiced primarily by women across cultures, represents centuries of knowledge in obstetric care—knowledge often dismissed when medicine professionalized under male authority.

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