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RISK and the Pregnant Body
Author(s) -
LYERLY ANNE DRAPKIN,
MITCHELL LISA M.,
ARMSTRONG ELIZABETH MITCHELL,
HARRIS LISA H.,
KUKLA REBECCA,
KUPPERMANN MIRIAM,
LITTLE MARGARET OLIVIA
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
hastings center report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1552-146X
pISSN - 0093-0334
DOI - 10.1353/hcr.0.0211
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , everyday life , pregnancy , psychology , work (physics) , medicine , psychiatry , political science , law , biology , genetics , mechanical engineering , engineering
Reasoning well about risk is most challenging when a woman is pregnant, for patient and doctor alike. During pregnancy, we tend to note the risks of medical interventions without adequately noting those of failing to intervene, yet when it's time to give birth, interventions are seldom questioned, even when they don't work. Meanwhile, outside the clinic, advice given to pregnant women on how to stay healthy in everyday life can seem capricious and overly cautious. This kind of reasoning reflects fear, not evidence.