Today, a number of medical technologies with varying degrees of accuracy are available for pregnant women. The most widely used prenatal diagnostic technology is ultrasound. Until the mid 1980s ultrasound was selectively offered to women with a high-risk pregnancy, but it is now considered a regular feature of prenatal care that can benefit all pregnant women. The psychological effects of ultrasound on the pregnancy experience have been widely explored and researchers found, that they are predominantly positive. However, little has yet been said about sociological aspects of the influence of ultrasound on women’s pregnancy experiences. Therefore, this essay seeks to explore this topic in a sociological dimension, in order to answer the question, whether ultrasound is a benefit or a burden in regards to the pregnancy experiences of women. The essay sheds light on how ultrasound can be used for ‘prenatal’ family building as it allows the woman to involve her partner and members of the extended family in her pregnancy experience. The essay goes on to argue, that besides the empowerment of women’s monopoly in family building strategies by ultrasound, the increased level of medicalisation of pregnancy has disempowering characteristics. After examining the influences of ultrasound at the women’s status, it will be argued that also foetal images that have been influenced by ultrasound impact on women’s pregnancy experiences. I will therefore discuss the ‘prenatal paradox’ of the construction of foetal personhood versus the image of the foetus as a consumer commodity. The last part of the essay shows how ultrasound influences the medical and societal view of having a disabled child in a time in which disability can be prevented by induced selective abortion.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Reconsidering family structures – the foetus as a family member
3. Between medicalisation and social sanctions
4. Between personhood and commodity – foetal images
5. Societal view and disability – the impact of ultrasound on women’s choices
6. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the sociological influence of routine prenatal ultrasound on women's pregnancy experiences. The primary research question addresses whether this technology acts as a benefit or a burden, specifically exploring how it shapes family building, medicalization, and societal perceptions of foetal personhood and disability.
- The role of ultrasound in prenatal family building and bonding.
- The impact of medicalization on women's autonomy and status.
- The "prenatal paradox" regarding the construction of foetal personhood versus commodity.
- Societal pressure and the moral implications of prenatal screening and disability.
- The influence of political and social environments on reproductive decision-making.
Excerpt from the Book
Reconsidering family structures – the foetus as a family member
When a child joins the relationship of two individuals, family structures and relationships change. Existing bonds between partners or members of their extended families may become emotionally strained and new bonds evolve. Studying the sociological influences of ultrasound on women’s pregnancy experience, I seek to answer the question how this technology can potentially influence the adjustment to the new family life.
Psychologically, the picture of the foetus on the ultrasound screen increases maternal-foetal bonding (Mitchell 2001, Harpel 2003). Besides the increased attachment between the mother and the foetus, ultrasound has also evolved to be a female strategy in family building. Although men still tend to view reproduction as a female domain, women engaged in heightening their partner’s involvement in the pregnancy by taking them along to the ultrasound examinations or showing them ultrasound videos or pictures (Rapp 1999, Mitchell 2001). Mitchell found, that seeing the foetus on the screen contributed to changes in male behaviour like working shorter hours to stay with the woman or, in contrast, working harder to save up more money for the additional family member. In this sense, ultrasound can be perceived as an important step towards fatherhood (Harpel 2003, 19). This is also shown by Johnsons’s and Puddifoot’s findings, that expectant fathers who had seen an ultrasound picture of the foetus experienced more intense grief compared to men who lacked this experience (ibid. 17).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the shift from risk-based to routine ultrasound and outlines the paper's aim to explore the sociological impact of the technology on women's pregnancy experiences.
2. Reconsidering family structures – the foetus as a family member: This section details how ultrasound facilitates family building by enabling male involvement and creating social identities for the foetus.
3. Between medicalisation and social sanctions: This chapter analyzes how routine ultrasound leads to increased medicalization, potentially devaluing women's subjective experiences and placing them under social pressure.
4. Between personhood and commodity – foetal images: This section discusses the "prenatal paradox," where the foetus is simultaneously constructed as an individual with rights and a commodity subject to quality control.
5. Societal view and disability – the impact of ultrasound on women’s choices: This chapter examines how prenatal screening for disabilities influences women's decision-making and the societal stigma surrounding the continuation of a pregnancy involving impairment.
6. Conclusion: The concluding chapter summarizes that while ultrasound offers benefits in family building, it significantly increases burdens on women through medicalization and complex societal dilemmas.
Keywords
Prenatal ultrasound, pregnancy experience, medicalization, family building, foetal personhood, maternal-foetal bonding, disability, social sanctions, reproductive autonomy, prenatal diagnosis, sonography, pregnancy, sociology, foetus, decision-making.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work investigates the sociological effects of routine ultrasound on the pregnancy experiences of women, analyzing the technology as both a potential benefit and a burden.
What are the core themes addressed?
The core themes include prenatal family building, the medicalization of pregnancy, the construction of foetal personhood versus consumer commodity, and the impact of screening on societal views toward disability.
What is the main research question?
The research question asks whether ultrasound technology functions as a blessing or a burden in relation to the lived pregnancy experiences of women.
Which methodology is employed in this study?
This is a sociological essay that reviews and synthesizes existing qualitative research, feminist perspectives, and social theories regarding prenatal diagnostic technologies.
What is covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body examines how ultrasound impacts family relationships, the role of medical professionals, the ideological construction of the foetus, and the constraints on women’s reproductive choices.
Which keywords best characterize this study?
Key terms include prenatal ultrasound, pregnancy experience, medicalization, foetal personhood, family building, and reproductive autonomy.
How does ultrasound facilitate "family building"?
Ultrasound enables women to include partners and extended family members in the experience, fostering emotional bonding and helping to establish a social identity for the foetus before birth.
What is the "prenatal paradox" mentioned in the text?
The "prenatal paradox" refers to the contradiction where the foetus is simultaneously constructed as a person deserving of love and care, and an object (commodity) that is quality-controlled and potentially unwanted if disabled.
- Quote paper
- Christine Schlapa (Author), 2007, The routinised use of ultrasound: Blessing or burden in women’s pregnancy experiences?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/75744
