ABSTRACT
Following an adverse in utero diagnosis, families often report feeling isolated and abandoned in their need; solitude can make the experience of continuing a pregnancy particularly challenging. This chapter argues that the need for accompaniment is a focal concern of the virtue of solidarity. It also shows that the presence enacted through the provision of perinatal palliative and hospice care manifests this virtue. Section II summarizes some of the evidence concerning the experience of isolation and felt abandonment after an adverse diagnosis, framing it in light of the family’s desire to fulfill tasks vital to their identity. Section III develops an account of the virtue of solidarity, contrasting it with some opposing vices. On this view, solidarity manifests itself through an affectively attuned and enduring relational presence with those in need. Section IV shows how professional communities and institutions can engage in a common project of care that manifests solidarity. It describes how social structures within contemporary medical institutions can facilitate or inhibit the expression of a solidarity. Section V describes some institutional reforms that might foster an institutional culture of willing accompaniment for families affected by significantly life-limiting antenatal diagnoses.
