MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu 24 06J STS 006J Bioethics Spring 2009 For information about citing these materials or our Terms of Use visit http ocw mit edu terms Obligations of Pregnancy Session L11 Laury Oaks The New Rules of Pregnancy in Smoking and Pregnancy The Politics of Fetal Protection New Brunswick NJ Rutgers University Press 2001 pp 19 24 38 52 Lisa H Harris and Lynn Paltrow The Status of Pregnant Women and Fetuses in US Criminal Law JAMA 289 2 April 2003 1697 1699 Kimberly Roots A Better Pill to Swallow Science and Spirit 2007 online edition accessed 1 19 2008 For the past two weeks we have been discussing whether or not fetuses have rights what obligations people might have towards them and the morality of abortion We have also discussed debates about babies born premature who has the right to make decisions about their care and future what obligations can doctors and governments put on their parents etc The readings for this lecture look at a related question do pregnant women have an obligation to provide an optimal developmental environment for embryos and fetuses If an obligation exists what is its extent Who has the authority to determine what pregnant women ought or ought not to do Oaks New Rules of Pregnancy Oaks reviews some of the history and current debates about maternal obligations She briefly describes beliefs popular until the late 19th century that maternal thoughts and emotions could have a decisive impact on fetal development the theory of maternal impressions Why did this idea disappear What developments in the 1930s and 1960s led to renewed focus on the vulnerability of the fetus to maternal actions More specifically what is the maternal fetal conflict model What is the 12 month pregnancy What rights and obligations if any do husbands or fathers have as pregnancy police p 47 Oaks describes all of this as part of the broader cultural movement of healthism p 38 why does healthism put a particular burden on pregnant women Harris and Paltrow The Status of Pregnant Women and Fetuses This article reviews legal developments about the rights and obligations of pregnant women What sorts of crimes have pregnant women been prosecuted for What claims have been made about the status of the fetus in the various cases In general courts and legislatures have sided with the women Why Do you agree Roots A Better Pill to Swallow Most discussions of contraception and pregnancy rights and obligations focus on women Roots describes efforts to develop a male contraceptive pill What level of responsibility would men be willing to take for pregnancy What level of bodily change might they tolerate Would men really find such a pill empowering How does this relate to Oaks s discussion pp 47 48 of whether or not fathers should join pregnant women in any expected lifestyle changes