This book tells the personal stories of women who have resisted medical eugenics - women who were told they shouldn't have babies because of perceived disability in themselves, or shouldn't have babies because of some imperfection in the child. They have confronted the stigma of disability and in the face of silent disapproval and even open hostility, had their babies anyway, in the belief that all life is valuable and that some are not more worthy of it than others. This is a book about women who have dared challenge the utilitarian medical model/mindset. Disparaged and treated as pariahs for departing from accepted medical wisdom they have chosen non compliance with medical/social prejudice and defiantly said yes to their babies, and no to the cult of bodily perfection. This is a controversial book that looks critically at the way in which medical eugenics is being used as a contemporary form of social engineering. Melinda Tankard Reist has written a strongly argued and trenchant introduction setting out the issues, among them the idea that having children is about "quality control and the paradigm of perfection." "Defiant Birth" explores what is means to have "less-than-perfect pregnancies" and "genetically different babies." People with disabilities have been raising these issues for many years, but on the whole they remain silent and marginalised in the media. Among the issues raised are: how accurate are screening procedures? What is a worthwhile life? Who should decide which life is worth living?
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Reviews
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Is our society stealthily moving towards what the world cried "NO" to in Nazi Germany during WW2?
This book is amazing. Amazing data and fact; amazing stories from amazing women and their families in the the face of some amazingly cruel advice and pressure.
A must for every expecting parent (and their families) who have been told that their unborn child may be less that what society deems as having a 'worthy' life.
Eye opening and inspirational to say the very least!
Wow what a ride, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very thought provoking and I felt privileged to be reading the stories of the many individuals who had contributed to this book. Melinda Tankard Reist has a done a great job at presenting a very emotional subject for many people and I for one totally recommend this book.
Very clearly states the problems of current medical practices involving the decision to abort mentally or physically deformed children. It clearly outlines the social structures inherent in our post-modern world that create the desire to 'perfect' children and the subsequent persecution and discrimination against anyone perceived as being less than ideal. It's more than just having a blue eyed baby over a brown eyed one. What does it mean to be human?
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