#55 - Lauren Hall, PhD: The Medicalization of Birth and Death

Apr 19, 2022

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Lauren Hall, PhD, is professor and chair of political science at Rochester Institute of Technology. She is the author of The Medicalization of Birth and Death, which was inspired by first-hand struggles with navigating the conventional medical model through her own births and accompanying her family members through death. Her current research is on the moral and political implications of healthcare regulations as well as issues relating to gender and the family. Her book needed to be written, and I'm so happy she did it so that I didn't have to (whew! close one!). Savor every second of this juicy conversation!

[00:09:00] - Lauren fired her first OB when she was 16 weeks pregnant

[00:13:00] - Lauren's metaphor of an uncontrollable river current without the ability to swim to shore

[00:15:00] - "Standard of care" and "permission" in childbirth

[00:20:50] - Nobody walks into battle without a plan...why is it different for birth?

[00:30:30] - Lauren's personal experience with hospice care

[00:34:00] - "Medicine" has been reduced to only the measurable aspects of being alive

[00:36:00] - The recent shift in "science" from observation to control

[00:39:00] - Birth and death can't be standardized like medical conditions

[00:46:15] - Inpatient versus out-of-hospital birth and death

[00:50:45] - There is still a good reason to have hospitals

References and links:

Lauren on Instagram, Email: lauren.hall@rit.edu

Lauren's book: The Medicalization of Birth and Death

Birth Monopoly

End Well Conference

Yoko Sen TedMed Talk: "Reimagining Hospital Sounds"

Big thanks to our sponsors:

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Music by: Labrinth, Chancha Via Circuito, and Joaquín Cornejo

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