Imperfect Pregnancies: A History of Birth Defects and Prenatal Diagnosis

by Ilana Löwy

In the 1960s, thanks to the development of prenatal diagnosis, medicine found a new object of the living fetus. At first, prenatal testing was proposed only to women at a high risk of giving birth to an impaired child. But in the following decades, such testing has become routine. In Imperfect Pregnancies , Ilana Löwy argues that the generalization of prenatal diagnosis has radically changed the experience of pregnancy for tens of millions of women worldwide. Although most women are reassured that their future child is developing well, others face a stressful period of waiting for results, uncertain prognosis, and difficult decisions. Löwy follows the rise of biomedical technologies that made prenatal diagnosis possible and investigates the institutional, sociocultural, economic, legal, and political consequences of their widespread diffusion. Because prenatal diagnosis is linked to the contentious issue of selective termination of pregnancy for a fetal anomaly, debates on this topic have largely centered on the rejection of human imperfection and the notion that we are now perched on a slippery slope that will lead to new eugenics. Imperfect Pregnancies tells a more complicated story, emphasizing that there is no single standardized way to scrutinize the fetus, but there are a great number of historically conditioned and situated approaches. This book will interest students, scholars, health professionals, administrators, and activists interested in issues surrounding new medical technologies, screening, risk management, pregnancy, disability, and the history and social politics of women’s bodies.

Genres: Disability, Nonfiction, Medicine, Science, History

296 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 12, 2017

Reviews

[Ângela Maresch · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you anyone is interested in understanding the scientific, historical and cultural background of birth defects, this one is a beautifully written book. I was just a laboratory professional, curious about the juicy technicalities of prenatal testing, but found deep enrichment in this book. So many issues, ethical dilemmas and difficult choices! But especially, I am very fond of chapter 4 where the discovery of biomarkers was narrated as a perfect, logical but less mundane sequence of events, where we almost want to pick a side (biochemistry or ecography?...). It is not very dense in information, but it is as I said very well written. and so very captivating (and very relevant!). I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Medical Science and Ethics.