Fetal Subjects, Feminist Positions

Book excerpt: Selected as the "Most Enduring Edited Collection" by the Council on Anthropology and Reproduction Since Roe v. Wade, there has been increasing public interest in fetuses, in part as a result of effective antiabortion propaganda and in part as a result of developments in medicine and technology. While feminists have begun to take note of the proliferation of fetal images in various media, such as medical journals, magazines, and motion pictures, few have openly addressed the problems that the emergence of the fetal subject poses for feminism. Fetal Subjects, Feminist Positions foregrounds feminism's effort to focus on the importance of women's reproductive agency, and at the same time acknowledges the increasing significance of fetal subjects in public discourse and private experience. Essays address the public fascination with the fetal subject and its implications for abortion discourse and feminist commitment to reproductive rights in the United States. Contributors include scholars from fields as diverse as anthropology, communications, political science, sociology, and philosophy.