Midwifery and the Politicized Logic of “Sex-Based” Childbirth Discourse

Abstract

Some midwives and related professionals agree with concerns expressed in the popular media about the removal of the “sexed terms” woman and mother from reproductive healthcare discourse. They contend that while gender may be chosen and diverse, biological or reproductive sex is immutable and anatomically based. It follows, they claim, that while we may affirm people’s gender choices, binary sex ought to be the identifying factor in reproductive healthcare, research, and advocacy. Sex-based language advocates also make the unexamined metaphysical assumption that reality is material and natural and that sex is on this unshakable, grounding level. In contrast, I argue that they ignore the true complexity and diversity of sex/gender differentiation and are motivated by their own situated, politicized gender identity. These beliefs result in measurable reproductive harm to trans, nonbinary, and other gender diverse individuals.