The Business of Birth: Malpractice and Maternity Care in the United States

Louise Marie Roth

Feb. 2021 · NYU Press

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How the fear of malpractice affects mothers and reproductive choices

Giving birth is a monumental event, not only in the personal life of the woman giving birth, but as a medical process and procedure. In The Business of Birth, Louise Marie Roth explores the process of giving birth, and the ways in which medicine and law interact to shape maternity care.

Focusing on the United States, Roth explores how the law creates an environment where medical providers, malpractice attorneys, and others limit women’s rights and choices during birth. She shows how a fear of liability risk often drives the decision-making process of medical providers, who prioritize hospital efficiency over patient safety, to the detriment of mothers themselves.

Ultimately, Roth advocates for an approach that protects the reproductive rights of mothers. A comprehensive overview, The Business of Birth provides valuable insight into the impact of the law on mothers, medical providers, maternity care practices, and others in the United States.

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Louise Marie Roth is Professor of Sociology at the University of Arizona. She studies gender, organizations, law, and health. Her research examines how organizational cultures, policies, and responses to the law influence justice and quality of life for women. Her first book analyzed gender inequality on Wall Street.