ABSTRACT

Here is a comprehensive overview and analysis of issues concerning the maternal-fetal relationship, from abortion to surrogate motherhood. Unlike many books which cover reproductive issues in general, this book focuses in-depth on one aspect of reproduction--the maternal-fetal relationship--to give readers a detailed study of the many issues involved. The Politics of Pregnancy discusses public policy dimensions of this relationship and posits new, critical political dilemmas. Many chapters in this unique book also provide significant clinical information as well as conceptual analysis.The Politics of Pregnancy offers great diversity in terms of the disciplinary backgrounds of the authors and their ideological perspectives. Authors come from many fields, including sociology, political science, pediatrics, ethics, and psychiatry, and provide diverse, sometimes opposing, analytical positions. Some of the topics they debate include:

  • maternal substance use during pregnancy
  • prenatal technology
  • pregnancy and workplace hazards
  • court-ordered obstetrical intervention
  • fetal experimentation

    Readers interested in public and health care policy, nursing, feminism, pediatrics, or ethics, will find The Politics of Pregnancy to be a stimulating and thought-provoking book. This volume also makes an excellent discussion tool for graduate courses in these areas.

chapter |17 pages

Reproductive Technology

Pregnant Women, the Fetus, and the Courts

chapter |19 pages

Good, Bad, and Captive Samaritans

Adding-In Pregnancy and Consent to the Abortion Debate

chapter |17 pages

The War at Home

Positivism, Law, and the Prosecution of Pregnant Women

chapter |19 pages

At Women's Expense

The Costs of Fetal Rights

chapter |16 pages

Analyzing Employer Motives

Evaluating the “Scientific Evidence” upon Which Fetal Protection Policies Were Based

chapter |16 pages

Women's Rights vs. “Fetal Rights”

Politics, Law and Reproductive Hazards in the Workplace

chapter |11 pages

In the Interest of the Fetus

Mandatory Prenatal Classes in the Workplace

chapter |19 pages

Surrogate Motherhood

Implications for the Mother-Fetus Relationship