The impact of individualization on pregnancy practices : the case of prenatal diagnosis

Alphia Possamai-Inesedy, T. Majoribanks

    Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperConference Paper

    Abstract

    ![CDATA[Risk, according to the works of Beck and Giddens, has become a force of social change. It can be seen to actively shape our concept of health, desire for perfection, and our relationship to technology and responsibility. These themes will be employed in the following analysis of the use and impact of prenatal diagnosis on the pregnant woman. It will be argued that amongst the unforseen consequences of this form of technology are not only the increased choices that the expectant woman is faced with but also the increased responsibility. Because of the emphasis on responsibility towards one’s own health, within high modernity, as well as notions of perfection, parents are rapidly becoming faced with an obligation to use these technologies for not only the future of their child but also to secure their own future. What is of essence in this argument is not only the obligations and responsibilities towards one’s life path that Beck’s notion of individualization focuses on, but also a voluntary compulsion to actively engage with science and technology to fulfil these obligations.]]
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationRe-imagining Sociology: Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Australian Sociological Association, held 2-5 December 2008, at University of Melbourne
    PublisherTASA
    Number of pages12
    ISBN (Print)9780734039842
    Publication statusPublished - 2008
    EventAustralian Sociological Association. Conference -
    Duration: 26 Nov 2012 → …

    Conference

    ConferenceAustralian Sociological Association. Conference
    Period26/11/12 → …

    Keywords

    • prenatal diagnosis
    • social change
    • responsibility
    • pregnancy
    • risk

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