The Power of Language in Hospital Care for Pregnant and Birthing People

Abstract

Language is commonly defined as the principal method of human communication made up of words and conveyed by writing, speech, or nonverbal expression. In the context of clinical care, language has power and meaning and reflects priorities, beliefs, values, and culture. Stigmatizing language can communicate unintended meanings that perpetuate socially constructed power dynamics and result in bias. This bias may harm pregnant and birthing people by centering positions of power and privilege and by reflecting cultural priorities in the United States, including judgments of demographic and reproductive health characteristics. This commentary builds on relationship-centered care and reproductive justice frameworks to analyze the role and use of language in pregnancy and birth care in the United States, particularly regarding people with marginalized identities. We describe the use of language in written documentation, verbal communication, and behaviors associated with caring for pregnant people. We also present recommendations for change, including alternative language at the individual, clinician, hospital, health systems, and policy levels. We define birth as the emergence of a new individual from the body of its parent, no matter what intervention or pathology may be involved. Thus, we propose a cultural shift in hospital-based care for birthing people that centers the birthing person and reconceptualizes all births as physiologic events, approached with a spirit of care, partnership, and support.