Space and body in the public debate on the regional distribution of maternity hospitals

Abstract

In 2014, the Finnish government introduced the initiative to save public expenses by centralizing the treatment of childbirths to larger and fewer hospitals. This aroused a heated debate on the right place to give birth. This article analyzes the public debate on the locational pattern of maternity hospitals and explores the role of the birth giving body in this debate. The empirical material consists of articles and comments published in Helsingin Sanomat and YLE webpages in 2014. It is analyzed by using qualitative content analysis. The closure of hospitals located in small and middle-size towns was supported by referring to the improving safety and welfare of mothers and babies. This argumentation was resisted by referring to growing distances to hospitals and the risks of deliveries on the road. Despite the protests, which utilized unpleasant associations of birth giving female bodies in wrong places and at wrong hands, the new regulations took effect, and several maternity wards were closed.