Fetal Images: The Power of Visual Culture in the Politics of Reproduction

Antiabortionists in both the United States and Britain have long applied the principle that a picture of a dead fetus is worth a thousand words. Chaste silhouettes of the form, or voyeuristic-necrophilic photographs of its remains, litter the background of any abortion talk. This chapter explores the overlapping boundaries between media spectacle and clinical experience when pregnancy becomes a moving picture. It attempts to understand the cultural meanings and impact of like those in The Silent Scream. The chapter examines the effect of routine ultrasound imaging of the fetus not only on the larger cultural climate of reproductive politics but also on the experience and consciousness of pregnant women. Finally, it considers some implications of fetal images for feminist theory and practice. Fetal imagery epitomizes the distortion inherent in all photographic images: their tendency to slice up reality into tiny bits wrenched out of real space and time.