"Control Freaks": Evaluating Concerns of Ableism in the Perinatal Environment

Area of Science:

• Medical ethics
• Sociology
• Perinatal medicine

Background:

• The modern era is characterized by an increasing impulse toward control.
• Practices such as family planning and disability-selective abortion reflect this trend.
• Pediatric palliative care physicians encounter complex ethical decisions within fetal care programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the relationship between the modern impulse for control and reproductive practices.
• To examine the conflict between maximizing future control and fostering anti-ableism in perinatal medicine.
• To apply sociologist Hartmut Rosa's theories to contemporary medical practices.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of experiences in pediatric palliative care.
• Application of social theory, specifically Hartmut Rosa's concepts.
• Exploration of cultural and professional conflicts in perinatal medicine.

Main Results:

• A significant cultural and professional conflict exists within perinatal medicine.
• This conflict arises from the tension between maximizing control over the future and promoting anti-ableism.
• The impulse toward control in modern society influences reproductive choices and medical practices.

Conclusions:

• Perinatal medicine faces an unresolved conflict regarding control and anti-ableism.
• Ethical frameworks must address the societal drive for control in reproductive healthcare.
• Fostering a culture of anti-ableism requires re-evaluating practices influenced by the impulse toward control.