Anthropological Perspectives on the Fetus

3 units

Where do we come from? How do we get here? When does life begin? Is the fetus a person, or something else? How could we decide? This course will integrate biological, medical, philosophical, and cross-cultural perspectives to examine how various societies (including our own) understand the nature of the human fetus. The course will examine basic human embryology, beliefs about conception and fetal development, ideas about the moral status of the fetus, controversies surrounding pre-natal care and ante-natal diagnostic testing (including sex-selection and genetic screening tests), current controversies about fetal medicine and surgery, and the problem of abortion in cross-cultural perspective.