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.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Reconsidering family structures – the foetus as a family member
- Between medicalisation and social sanctions
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay explores the sociological influences of ultrasound on women's pregnancy experiences, specifically focusing on how ultrasound can both empower and disempower women in their roles as mothers and family builders. It examines the impact of ultrasound on the relationship between the woman, the foetus, and her partner and family, as well as the role of medicalisation in pregnancy.
- The impact of ultrasound on family building and the construction of foetal identity
- The empowerment and disempowerment of women in the medicalised pregnancy experience
- The role of ultrasound in shaping perceptions of foetal personhood and the "prenatal paradox"
- The influence of ultrasound on societal views of disability and the potential for "prevention"
- The potential social sanctions associated with the increasing medicalisation of pregnancy.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the widespread use of ultrasound in prenatal care and discusses the shift from risk-based to population-based application. It highlights the predominantly positive psychological effects of ultrasound, but emphasizes the need to explore the sociological aspects of its influence on women's pregnancy experiences.
- Reconsidering family structures – the foetus as a family member: This section examines how ultrasound facilitates the inclusion of partners and extended family in the pregnancy experience. It explores how ultrasound pictures contribute to increased maternal-foetal bonding and the construction of a social identity for the foetus. It also discusses how ultrasound can be used as a tool for renegotiating familial relationships and power dynamics.
- Between medicalisation and social sanctions: This chapter explores the arguments both for and against the increasing medicalisation of pregnancy through the use of ultrasound. It discusses feminist critiques of ultrasound's potential to devalue women's subjective knowledge and experiences. It also considers the potential negative effects of ultrasound on women's relationships with the foetus and their overall sense of autonomy in pregnancy.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key terms and concepts explored in this essay include: ultrasound, prenatal care, medicalisation, family building, foetal personhood, prenatal paradox, disability, feminist critique, social sanctions, empowerment, and disempowerment.
- 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
