Ourselves unborn : a history of the fetus in modern America / Sara Dubow.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dubow, Sara.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fetus--United States--History--20th century.

Fetus.

Fetus--Legal status, laws, etc--United States.

Obstetrics--United States--History--20th century.

Obstetrics.

Perinatology--United States--History--20th century.

Perinatology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 308 p. ) ill.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This title argues that the meanings people attribute to the fetus are not based simply on biological fact or theological truth, but are in fact strongly influenced by competing definitions of personhood and identity, beliefs about knowledge and authority, and assumptions about gender roles and sexuality.

During the past several decades, the fetus has been diversely represented in political debates, medical textbooks and journals, personal memoirs and autobiographies, museum exhibits and mass media, and civil and criminal law. Ourselves Unborn argues that the meanings people attribute to the fetus are not based simply on biological fact or theological truth, but are in fact strongly influenced by competing definitions of personhood and identity, beliefs about knowledge and authority, and assumptions about gender roles and sexuality. In addition, these meanings can be shaped by dramatic historical change: over the course of the twentieth century, medical and technological changes made fetal development more comprehensible, while political and social changes made the fetus a subject of public controversy. Moreover, since the late nineteenth century, questions about how fetal life develops and should be valued have frequently intersected with debates about the authority of science and religion, and the relationship between the individual and society. In examining the contested history of fetal meanings, Sara Dubow brings a fresh perspective to these vital debates.

Contents:

INTRODUCTION: FETAL STORIES; 1. Discovering Fetal Life, 1870s-1920s; 2. Interpreting Fetal Bodies, 1930s-1970s; 3. Defining Fetal Personhood, 1973-1976; 4. Defending Fetal Rights: 1970s-1990s; 5. Debating Fetal Pain, 1984-2007; EPILOGUE: FETAL MEANINGS; NOTES; BIBLIOGRAPHY

Notes:

Formerly CIP.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

ISBN:

0-19-977976-7

1-282-89992-9

9786612899928

0-19-971729-X

OCLC:

922970156