I focus on the nature of the discourses of the birth themselves and on the form of their controversies, which are tied to their confrontations in Czech web articles. I examine the discourses and their strife in the articles of active participants of the dispute and on the most popular website in the articles dedicated to (future) parents. The discourse of the actively medically controlled delivery, perceives a birth as an inscrutable risky phenomenon which is medically necessary to keep always in a hospital with a staffing and material background to deal with possible complications. This discourse criticizes the births that are led outside hospitals. The discourse of the natural birth sees a birth as a natural part of life, during which usually no complications occur, if there is present a trained expert, who does not interfere in the natural process of labor, except any required medical reasons. A natural birth can be taken place in home. The reader are warned by this discourse on the improper routine care in Czech hospitals, which is inconsistent with the needs of the mother and the child, and on complications of a birth caused by the active medical leading of labor. The articles on the popular website are mainly influenced by the discourse of the actively medically controlled birth. These...

Same-sex couples are affected by the social and political climates in which they live, as these create the difference between acceptance and legalization, and discrimination and prohibition, of their relationships. This contingence is made increasingly impactful by the privileges and protections afforded to married couples by the federal government; same-sex couples, along with other couples that choose not to, or cannot, marry, are excluded from these benefits. Following the June 26, 2013 ruling that Section Three of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defined marriage as between a man and a woman, was unconstitutional, same-sex couples were given access to over 1,100 federal protections and benefits and supported legally for the first time. My research explored the lived experiences of same-sex couples following this milestone in order to develop an understanding of the psychological and relational effects of the DOMA repeal on same-sex couples. This understanding may assist therapists working with these couples by increasing comprehension of their context and the effects of the DOMA repeal on their internal and relationship functioning. By understanding these aspects, therapists may work more capably and sensitively with same-sex couples, and be more informed regarding potential problems these clients may bring to therapy. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed in order to gather comprehensive data on the topic, utilize the strengths of both methodologies, and enhance the results of each method with the other. A single instrument, an online survey, was utilized. The quantitative paradigm provided numerical data on the experiences of same-sex couples following the DOMA repeal, as well as differences in experiences based on variance in state laws. Under the qualitative paradigm, phenomenological methodology was utilized to explore and convey participants' experience of the repeal in their own words. Responses were collected via survey to allow for more anonymity for participants, as well as a more representative sample of same-sex couples across the country. Qualitative and quantitative questions were included on the survey; responses were analyzed separately, and then merged during interpretation. Implications for clinical practice derived from this study are reviewed, as well as implications for advocacy work and directions for further research. It is hoped that this study will provide a better understanding of same-sex couples' lived experiences following the repeal of DOMA's Section Three, and provide implications for therapists working with these couples.

1 ABSTRACT The issue of births outside a medical facility is currently a controversial topic between specialists as well as in the public sector. While the specialists concur in refusing home births, the society is divided. There are voices that refuse home births but there are also plenty of people who support the right of mothers to give birth outside of a medical facility. Very sensitive topic is the legal and ethical aspects of the protection of unborn children and the issue of a safely conducted delivery. In the last decades, the life value of an unborn child has been seen as an ethical problem. The right to life is one of the fundamental human rights, which is enshrined in the constitutional system of the Czech Republic and also in the international human rights conventions. Because there are different opinions regarding this issue, it is necessary to establish a view that is widely accepted so that legal standards can be approved provided that the opinions of minorities are being respected. The main objective of this presented dissertation was to ascertain why are people losing confidence in a doctor's role during delivery and what is the reason for some of the mothers being unsatisfied with current institutional system of obstetrics. On the basis of these factual findings, which emerged during the...