Ourselves Unborn: A History of the Fetus in Modern America

by Sara Dubow

During the past several decades, the fetus has been diversely represented in political debates, medical textbooks and journals, personal memoirs and autobiographies, museum exhibits and mass media, and civil and criminal law. Ourselves Unborn argues that the meanings people attribute to the fetus are not based simply on biological fact or theological truth, but are in fact strongly influenced by competing definitions of personhood and identity, beliefs about knowledge and authority, and assumptions about gender roles and sexuality. In addition, these meanings can be shaped by dramatic historical change: over the course of the twentieth century, medical and technological changes made fetal development more comprehensible, while political and social changes made the fetus a subject of public controversy. Moreover, since the late nineteenth century, questions about how fetal life develops and should be valued have frequently intersected with debates about the authority of science
and religion, and the relationship between the individual and society. In examining the contested history of fetal meanings, Sara Dubow brings a fresh perspective to these vital debates.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Sociology, Medicine, American History, Law

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a word- ridiculous. the author relies on spectacular leaps of logic and convoluted arguments to come to her conclusions. This was supposed to be a book about pro-lifers but its obvious she has never actually spoken to one, or perhaps even met one. Her way of twisting everything around to support the most ludicrous and baseless conclusions would have been laughable, except there are actually feminists out there who might take this seriously. I had to force myself to finish it and that only because I was reading it for research.

I gave it two stars instead of one because I actually did learn some interesting things about the Edelin case.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book. Reading this book was an excellent reminder of how gaining more information on a topic can often lead to more questions instead of more answers. I'm thankful that Dubow has helped me to see through some of the political and social rhetoric that surrounds talk about the fetus, mothers, and abortion. This insight though has not yet made it clear to me how to navigate the false dichotomy of fetus vs. woman.

[Possum Paderau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very accessible and was very careful to draw the links between various trends and paradigms that were dominating at any given time. I used this book to write a paper about fetus symbolism, and it was more than I could have ever expected. I feel like I have a better understanding of antiabortion sentiments in the United States now.

[Tamlynem · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a thesis that she turned into a book. It reads like a thesis, not a book.