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Justifications of feticide
Ronit D Leichtentritt1, Judy Leichtentritt2, Michal Mahat Shamir3
1Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University.
The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
|January 29, 2016
Summary
Israeli women undergoing feticide (late-term pregnancy termination) cited reasons concerning family, fetus, and societal views. Despite justifications, they struggled with morality due to conflicting social messages.
Area of Science:
- Medical Sociology
- Reproductive Health
- Qualitative Research Methods
Background:
- Feticide, or late-term pregnancy termination, is a sensitive procedure.
- Sociocultural narratives significantly influence women's experiences and decisions regarding pregnancy.
- Understanding women's justifications for feticide is crucial for addressing reproductive health dilemmas.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the justifications Israeli women provide for undergoing feticide.
- To identify thematic patterns in women's decision-making processes for late-term pregnancy termination.
- To examine the underlying conceptualizations of 'wrongful life' and 'wrongful birth' in feticide decisions.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative research employing a constructivist approach.
- In-depth interviews with women who underwent feticide.
- Adapted constant comparative analysis for thematic pattern identification.
Main Results:
- Three primary themes of justification emerged: maternal/family, fetal, and socio-medical professional factors.
- Women utilized strategies like denial of injury and appeal to higher loyalties.
- Women experienced moral struggles due to societal non-recognition of feticide despite its prevalence.
Conclusions:
- Feticide decisions are complex, influenced by personal, fetal, and societal considerations.
- Contradictory social messages create moral ambiguity and distress for women.
- There is a need for open social discourse on feticide in Israel.