Displacing the "rule book" in caring for teen mothers

Lee SmithBattle1

  • 1Saint Louis University, MO 63104, USA. smithli@slu.edu

Teen mothers most often appear in professional discourse as voiceless subjects who are to be "brought in line" with scientific norms. This paper challenges this scientific "rule book" and offers a corrective that recovers the practical and engaged reasoning of teen mothers and the public health nurses (PHNs) who serve them. This corrective approach validates and supports the "voices" of teen mothers and the clinical acumen of PHNs.

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