Reproductive technologies and court-ordered obstetrical interventions: the need for a feminist voice in nursing

As the developments in and increasing use of reproductive technologies continue and as court-ordered obstetrical interventions occur, questions regarding nurses' roles in these developments become increasingly important. In this article, I identify a number of issues surrounding these developments in reproductive health care and examine how nurses have dealt with these issues. I also attempt to encourage nurses to examine and discuss these developments from a critical, woman-centered perspective. A review of articles from the nursing literature (1985-1990) grouped together on the basis of the concerns identified, approach used, or subjects studied is presented. The majority of researchers view reproductive technologies as either acceptable or as requiring legislation and control. Few researchers in nursing have identified concerns about reproductive technologies or court-ordered obstetrical interventions from a feminist perspective. It is crucial that questions be raised about the underlying assumptions of these measures and about their implications for women as patients and for nurses as practitioners, women, and promoters of health. Otherwise, nurses may be supporting technologies and other measures that harm women and nursing itself.