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Selective Reproduction in the 21st Century pp 69–95Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Moral Adherers: Pregnant Women Undergoing Routine Prenatal Screening in Denmark

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Abstract

This chapter explores how selective reproductive technologies (SRTs) have become routinized among pregnant women in Denmark. The research found that pregnant women did not make active decisions to opt for prenatal screening and did not perceive screening to be riddled with moral conflict. Rather, as ‘moral adherers’, they took screening for granted as part of antenatal health care. The chapter argues that the highly institutionalized availability of pregnancy ‘opt-outs’ compels women to see selective abortion as an acceptable choice, delegating the moral responsibility for selection to the healthcare system rather than to individuals. In this moral optic, selective reproduction becomes a collective responsibility.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Municipality of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Laura Louise Heinsen

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  1. Laura Louise Heinsen
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Ayo Wahlberg

  2. Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Tine M. Gammeltoft

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Heinsen, L.L. (2018). Moral Adherers: Pregnant Women Undergoing Routine Prenatal Screening in Denmark. In: Wahlberg, A., Gammeltoft, T. (eds) Selective Reproduction in the 21st Century. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58220-7_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58220-7_4

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-58219-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-58220-7

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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