Is pregnancy a disease? A normative approach




Smajdor Anna, Räsänen Joona

Publisher BMJ Publishing Group

2024

Journal of Medical Ethics

1473-4257

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2023-109651

https://jme.bmj.com/content/early/2024/01/28/jme-2023-109651

https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/381333751



In this paper, we identify some key features of what makes something a disease, and consider whether these apply to pregnancy. We argue that there are some compelling grounds for regarding pregnancy as a disease. Like a disease, pregnancy affects the health of the pregnant person, causing a range of symptoms from discomfort to death. Like a disease, pregnancy can be treated medically. Like a disease, pregnancy is caused by a pathogen, an external organism invading the host’s body. Like a disease, the risk of getting pregnant can be reduced by using prophylactic measures. We address the question of whether the ‘normality’ of pregnancy, its current necessity for human survival, or the value often attached to it are reasons to reject the view that pregnancy is a disease. We point out that applying theories of disease to the case of pregnancy, can in many cases illuminate inconsistencies and problems within these theories. Finally, we show that it is difficult to find one theory of disease that captures all paradigm cases of diseases, while convincingly excluding pregnancy. We conclude that there are both normative and pragmatic reasons to consider pregnancy a disease.


Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 16:18