The Rhetorical Work of Informed Choice in Midwifery: Situated Knowledges and the Negotiation of Health Care Decisions

Abstract

This chapter explores the communicative dimensions of health care work in midwifery from a rhetorical perspective. Like other authors in this book, I am interested in how contemporary concepts and practices of health information, communication, empowerment and expertise intersect with changing ideas about the non-material work expected of care recipients and providers. I take up these issues through a brief rhetorical analysis of ‘informed choice’ conversations in an Ontario midwifery practice.