(Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Instituto Riva-Agüero, 2018-12-10) Svenaeus, Fredrik
In this article I investigate the ways in which phenomenology could guide our views on the rights and/or wrongs of abortion. To my knowledge, very few phenomenologists have directed their attention to this issue, although quite a few have strived to better understand and articulate the strongly related themes of pregnancy and birth, most often in the context of feminist philosophy. After introducing the ethical and political contemporary debate concerning abortion, I introduce phenomenology in the context of medicine, and the way phenomenologists have understood the human body as lived and experienced by its owner. I turn then to the issue of pregnancy and discuss how the embryo or foetus could appear for us, particularly from the perspective of the pregnant woman, and what such showing up would mean from an ethical perspective. The way medical technology has changed the experience of pregnancy –for the pregnant woman, as well as for the father and/or other close ones– is discussed, particularly the implementation of early obstetric ultra-sound screening and blood test (NIPT) for Down’s syndrome and other medical defects. I conclude the article by suggesting that phenomenology can help us to negotiate a higher time-limit for legal abortion and, also, provide ways to determine which embryo-foetus defects to look for, and in which cases these should be looked upon as good reasons for performing an abortion.