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Published on: February 2, 2015
Medical technologies and the dream of the perfect newborn
Mara Buchbinder1, Stefan Timmermans
1University of North Carolina, Department of Social Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. mara_buchbinder@med.unc.edu
Insights
Newborn screening for genetic disorders reveals hidden health issues in infants, altering family expectations and childrearing. This technology creates uncertainty about future health, impacting parents and healthcare providers.
Area of Science:
- Sociology of Reproduction
- Medical Anthropology
- Genetics and Public Health
Background:
- Prenatal testing shapes parental expectations for "perfect" children.
- Postnatal screening for genetic disorders identifies asymptomatic infants with potential health issues.
- Newborn screening significantly impacts early childrearing and family development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the social consequences of newborn screening for genetic disorders.
- To examine how screening technologies create ambiguous biogenetic abnormalities.
- To compare the social impacts of prenatal versus postnatal screening.
Main Methods:
- Ethnographic fieldwork in a California pediatric genetics clinic.
- Qualitative analysis of parent and healthcare provider experiences.
- Comparative analysis of reproductive technologies.
Main Results:
- Newborn screening identifies "hidden imperfections," creating uncertainty for families.
- Screening destabilizes parental hopes for a healthy child by foreshadowing potential disorders.
- Ambiguous biogenetic abnormalities emerge from the screening process.
Conclusions:
- Newborn screening technologies profoundly alter family dynamics and parental expectations.
- The study expands the understanding of reproductive technologies beyond prenatal testing.
- Newborn screening is a critical area for anthropological research on reproduction.
Abstract:
Feminist and disability scholars have critiqued the role of prenatal testing technologies in fostering parental expectations to give birth to "perfect" children. However, in the case of postnatal screening for genetic disorders, identifying large numbers of asymptomatic infants brings previously hidden imperfections into critical relief. Consequently, newborn screening technologies have altered the day-to-day landscape of early childrearing and development for many families. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in a California pediatric genetics clinic, we describe how newborn screening creates ambiguous forms of biogenetic abnormality, foreshadowing a life of incipient disorder for children, families, and health care providers and so destabilizing parents' hopes of having a healthy child. By demonstrating key points of convergence and divergence between the social consequences of prenatal and postnatal screening, we expand the analytic gaze on reproductive technologies and establish newborn screening as a vibrant locus of inquiry for the anthropology of reproduction.
