Dispelling the Disempowering Birth Vocabulary

This article presents a very basic challenge with regard to the way in
which human beings enter into this world. This is not just a challenge to the medical
model, but to “natural childbirth” methods as well. It addresses the fundamentals of
language that have guided our core concepts of sexuality and birth. It is not limited to
the English language, but points out the roots of words from many languages that have
contributed to world-wide attitudes and concepts.
KEY WORDS: Birth, Language, Shame, Cultural Revolution