Theses

I Carry You in My Heart: Facing an Incurable Prenatal Diagnosis

June 30, 2014

The increasing sophistication and prevalence of prenatal diagnostic tests means that prospective parents and their doctors are grappling with ethical questions unheard of just half a century ago.

Prenatal diagnosis has given doctors the ability to predict problems before a child is even born. But what happens when the information gleaned from these tests is that the child is fatally sick? Doctors call these “futile” pregnancies. The increasing sophistication and prevalence of prenatal diagnostic tests means that prospective parents and their doctors are grappling with ethical questions unheard of just half a century ago. Legislators try to demarcate what choices are “good” and “bad”. However, there is no good choice when it comes to a fatally ill infant. While archival research is used to frame modern perspectives, this thesis aims to explore the different choices women make and the difficulties they must grapple with in this day and age.

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Tagged aschildren diagnostics ethics health parenting

Written by

Emma Sconyers

Emma Sconyers grew up in Newport, Rhode Island, never far from the beach or the local nature preserve, where she could usually be found with stacks of field guides, glass collection jars and a magnifying glass tucked safely under her arms. Her love of the natural world inspired her to pursue a degree in Biology from the University of Rhode Island. However, her love of literature and writing nagged so hard at the back of her mind she decided her junior year to double minor in English and Writing & Rhetoric. After completing a life engrossing honor’s thesis on the history of tuberculosis sanitaria in Rhode Island, her dedication to pursuing a career in science writing was cemented. Upon graduating, Emma landed a job as a Medical Staff Secretary at Newport Hospital where she has been working the past year. When she’s not chasing down doctors to sign endless piles of paperwork she moonlights as the co-director of her old high school’s theater company as well as a photography assistant (both of which she’s been doing for some time). She hopes to delve into her favorite subjects: the history of medicine, genetics, natural conservation and biological discovery. She is unapologetically in love with Martha Stewart and all things domestic, walking in the woods with her dog and singing old jazz standards far too loudly while she’s doing dishes.

Thesis: I Carry You in My Heart: Facing an Incurable Prenatal Diagnosis