”Varför vi är där vi är idag”

Abstract

This article explores if conversations about literary texts that thematize abortion can provide new knowledge about the clinical everyday practice of midwives. The empirical material consists of conversations with seven clinical midwives after shared reading of a sample of fictional and biographical Swedish texts from the 1930s, 1950s, 1990s, and 2010s. Drawing on theories of power relations, gendered knowledge, and narrative medicine, the article investigates the relationship between the texts and the midwives’ professional experiences. The study demonstrates that the participants agreed on the positive effects of reading and discussing literary texts related to their professional work. The study cannot establish that it has provided new knowledge about the midwives’ clinical practice; it concludes, however, that the shared reading and conversations generated an exchange about experiences of abortion care that subsequently could deepen knowledge about treatment and practice within the profession. The study demonstrates that the reading experience generated discussions about the clinical practice that otherwise would never have taken place, for the participants asserted that the conversations had given time for reflection about medical, social, and emotional issues that did not occur in clinic. The texts brought specific professional experiences to the fore and offered new perspectives on norms, practices, and the professional role. One distinct impression conveyed by the participants was that shame is still a salient feeling among the patients, signaling that abortion is still a sensitive subject. The article concludes that similar elements of reading and discussing literary texts could prove an important part of (continuous) training for professional midwives.