Open AccessTowards Legitimate Nursing Work? Historical Discursive Constructions of Abortion in The Canadian Nurse, 1950–1965
Author(s) -
Catherine Haney
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
canadian bulletin of medical history/bulletin canadien d'histoire de la médecine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.117
H-Index - 13
eISSN - 2371-0179
pISSN - 0823-2105
DOI - 10.3138/cbmh.31.2.93
Subject(s) - abortion , nursing , work (physics) , identity (music) , foundation (evidence) , sociology , medicine , political science , law , pregnancy , mechanical engineering , genetics , engineering , biology , physics , acoustics
To the detriment of women’s health, the abortion work of nurses in Canada has gone largely unexamined and is not well understood. This historical discourse analysis examines discursive constructions of nurses’ abortion work and ongoing renegotiations of professional identity in The Canadian Nurse from 1950 to 1965. By investigating what has shaped and continues to inform nurses’ understandings and enactment of abortion work over time, I hope to contribute to a foundation from which to evaluate contemporary abortion services and to foster conditions that support nurses in providing safe abortion care.