The document discusses how childbirth in the US transitioned from a female-centered social event attended by midwives at home to a medicalized process controlled by male doctors in hospitals. This was due to the scientific revolution replacing religious beliefs with a mechanistic view of the body. The medicalization of birth established a patriarchal model where doctors are in charge of the "mechanically developing" baby and women's bodies and experiences are seen as defective compared to male standards. Various hospital birth practices like wheelchairs, gowns, and induced labor enforce the prioritization of institutional control and schedules over women's empowerment and bodily autonomy.