Prenatal Testing In Hospital: Anthropological Study Of Cultural Change In Fertility

Compared with the traditional society,it has become a common sense to birth in hospitals in Modern China.It is not only the place of production has changed but also women have to undergo many strict prenatal examinations in hospitals throughout their pregnancy.However,these increasingly sophisticated examinations did not alleviate their anxiety,but triggered more uncertainty and tension.Compared with traditional society,has the meaning of fertility changed? Which are the reasons for the change? What will change bring about? This is the research questions and starting point of this study.Through field research and interviews,this study finds that the meaning of fertility has changed under the influence of modernity and biomedicine,and through the track of fertility changes,we can observe the changes of social culture,showing the unique attributes of modern society in the process of reproduction has been reshaped.First,the state implements the family planning policy from top to bottom.Through slogans such as "controlling population quantity,improving population quality" and "fewer and better children",propaganda and promotion in various forms such as soliciting article,popular science exhibition,film exhibition and so on.In the process,embryos are constructed from individual simple biological into new organisms with political purposes and capital investment as one.In order to enable the public to accept the concept of eugenics and consciously accept prenatal examination in hospitals,scientific discourse and related knowledge are constantly produced and strengthened.Birth has changed from "childbearing is like passing through a ghost gate" in traditional society to the ubiquitous risk in modern society.On the one hand,the risk is globalization;on the other hand,it is the individualization of risk response.The rapid development of obstetrical technology does not reduce the risks perceived by individuals,but makes the forms and types of risks more diversified.In addition to being subject to the discipline of scientific discourse,pregnant women are also subject to the constraints of motherhood culture,which is behind the booming consumer economy,from creating anxiety to offer maternal and infant knowledge and then rationally selling products.Secondly,today fertility and modern biomedicine are intermingled,which completely rewrites the significant of birth in daily events that originally existed in different social and historical contexts with complex connotations.The operation of prenatal examination is similar to the "production line" in factories.Pregnant women and their fetuses are regarded as products to be inspected.Obstetricians become workers responsible for the quality of products.The orderly line depends on the procedural operation and the standardization of inspection.The individual difference is not exist in this process,nor need to know too much about women’s personal feelings.The pregnant women are the main body of reproduction.Everything serves to eliminate unqualified products and ensure the efficient operation of this process.Multifarious prenatal examinations invisibly improve the expectations of pregnant women;"have a healthy baby" has become their common aspiration.Expecting to have control over nature is one of the symbols of modern society.To some extent,through the continuous development of obstetric technology,production control has been achieved.On the other hand,people’s tolerance of technology is getting lower and lower,and they cannot face the limitations of medical technology.Thirdly,through the population policy,the country hopes to cultivate a body that meets the national standards.Individuals hope to achieve the goal of reproductive health with the help of modern medical technology.These purposes all seem very rational.However,as an individual in the social structure,pregnant women are still influenced by their acquaintances or their own experiences.They are not subordinate to the scientific discourse represented by doctors.Combining with the concept of "practical rationality" proposed by Kathryn,we could better understand these seemingly irrational choices in the reproductive process.Finally,this paper points out that although the meaning of fertility has changed,production has always been a risky event from traditional to modern society.From pregnancy taboo to prenatal examination in hospitals,all of these are aimed at alleviating the pressure and anxiety caused by uncertainty.On the other hand,the change of reproductive culture reflects the change of society.Medical science meets the needs of specialization,standardization,high efficiency and data orientation for social development,but neglects the micro feeling of "disease",and insights into the need for biomedical technology discourse to operate and interpret in a complex cultural context.