29th Annual Student Research Conference
Reproductive Healthcare for the LGBTQ Family and the Midwife Model of Care
Mandi Brehm
Prof. Melissa Holcomb and Dr. Scott Alberts, Faculty Mentors
More than half of transgender people have to educate their medical providers on the meaning and implications of transness, while all LGBTQ people are more likely to be denied healthcare due to their sexual or gender identity. Reproductive care is especially intimate and often dangerous for LGBTQ people because it is deeply entrenched in mainstream ideals of gender and sexuality. This paper investigates the invalidation of queer identities in reproductive healthcare and seeks to build a model of care that is compassionate and explicitly inclusive of LGBTQ individuals and families. Midwives are reproductive care providers with a professional philosophy that is uniquely positioned to provide this care, and this paper examines the ways in which this specific profession can fill the gap and increase access to competent healthcare.
Keywords: Midwife, queer, reproductive health, reproductive justice, LGBTQ family, healthcare discrimination
Topic(s):Nursing
Sociology
Women's and Gender Studies
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: -1
Location: MG 1098
Time: 1:00