Invisible Labours: The Reproductive Politics of Second Trimester Pregnancy Loss in England (Fertility, Reproduction and Sexuality: Social and Cultural Perspectives Book 54)

by  Aimee Louise Middlemiss (Author)

Key Focus:

• Topic: Women’s experiences of miscarriage and termination for foetal anomaly during the second trimester, before legal viability.
• Core Idea: These experiences are often seen as less significant or “real” when the foetus does not survive or will not survive.

Key Themes:

• Reproductive Politics:
  • Invisible Labours examines the reproductive politics surrounding second-trimester pregnancy loss in England.
  • Highlights how society and medicine often dismiss these experiences as less important due to the foetus’s non-viability.
• Medical and Social Experiences:
  • Explores how second-trimester pregnancy loss creates unique medical and social challenges for women.
  • Reveals a teleological ontology of pregnancy, meaning a worldview that views pregnancy as having a predetermined, goal-oriented progression.
• Kinship with the Unborn:
  • Some women develop a deep sense of kinship with the unborn baby, viewing their pregnancy in emotional and familial terms, despite the foetus’s inability to survive.