Amber L. Griffioen's presentation on the philosophical meanings of pregnancy

Colloquium Summary

„Although some recent progress has been made on advancing discussions in the metaphysics of pregnancy (e.g., Elselijn Kingma’s BUMP project), both theoretical and practical approaches concerning pregnancy—not to mention much scientific and bioethical research—remain rather vague on the concept of human pregnancy itself (when it begins, when it ends, what it entails, etc.). In fact, with the exception, perhaps, of some participants in the abortion debate, relatively little philosophical ink has been spilt about when pregnancy begins (or when a woman may legitimately be said to be pregnant), and medical resources are of little help here, giving various answers to this question. Likewise, the philosophical literature on pregnancy (including the abortion debate) has largely ignored the phenomenon of pregnancy loss, assuming the live birth to be the “natural” end of pregnancy and paying attention only to the “aberrant” cases of induced, as opposed to spontaneous, abortion (or miscarriage). Yet, if we accept the medical literature that the rate of perinatal death between conception and term is somewhere between 40-90% of all pregnancies, it is far from clear what is “natural” or “normal”. It may even be true that the large majority of pregnancies do not end in the birth of a live human being.

Thus, when we begin to include pregnancy loss in our considerations of what pregnancy is and how it is experienced—and the roles played by reproductive, medical, and imaging technology in the formation of that experience—the ethical, social, legal, and religious ramifications that arise might begin to look very different. In this talk, I will explore the various ways in which pregnancy and its loss are relevant for various areas and subareas of philosophical discourse, as well as how such research may be significant for various issues of pressing social relevance, especially in countries with limited access to reproductive health care and/or limited reproductive freedom.“

Open series of colloquia in spring 2025

This colloquium is part of the Susimetsa Philosophicum Residency Programme, where the residents present the results of their research projects. The colloquium is organised by the Department of Philosophy and the Centre for Ethics of the University of Tartu. The colloquium is supported by the NGO Prof. Dr. Theda Rehbock's Susimetsa Philosophicum.