Abstract
Since the start of prenatal testing to inspect a fetus independently, selective abortion, which refers to aborting a fetus for fetal abnormality, has posed a problem. So that feminists might secure justification for the abortion, in general, they asserted “self-determination.” But from a sense of crisis to eugenics, selective abortion was not accepted as self-determination; instead, it was regarded as a singular point within the abortion itself.
From the field survey performed so far, in this paper, the author described the experience of prenatal testing and selective abortion and investigated the relationship between selective abortion and feminist theory in Japan. The results suggest that selective abortion is problematic because prenatal testing is sometimes a precursor to abortion, even for a desired pregnancy. Maternalistic discourse, such as “it's more for the sake of the child than for myself,” was often used to explain the selective abortion as well as the women's choice to undergo prenatal testing.
The selection must be dependent on the situation because of the strong attachment to the fetus through ultrasound imaging and unexpected happenings throughout the pregnancy term. Thus, the creation of the new concept of self-determination within feminist discourse is called for. Self-determination does not justify selective abortion unconditionally for women having decided by themselves. Rather, self-determination should denote a response to changeable and various “selves,” with a critical perspective toward both sides of the maternalistic culture and eugenic ideology.
