content and discourse analysis was applied to the written texts pertaining to maternal health care and the results placed within a theoretical framework of Daviss壮s Logic.
the manuals demonstrate the use of predominantly scientific and clinical logic to sanction birthplace. Planned birthplace choices have declined over time, with hospital now represented as the only place to give birth. This is in opposition to Aboriginal women壮s longstanding requests and is not supported by robust scientific evidence.
despite scientific and clinical logics dominating the sanctioning of birthplace for Aboriginal women, conjecture is apparent between assumed logics and evidence. There needs to be further critical reflection on why Aboriginal women do not have planned birthplace choices, and these reasons, once identified, debated and addressed both in research agendas and policy re-development.