The Pregnancy [does-not-equal] Childbearing Project

Reviews / Votes

[Scuro] is wonderfully unapologetic in pushing disciplinary boundaries in graphic novel form. This stylistic boldness is, in my opinion, one of the best features of this book--making it a potentially rejuvenating read (despite the difficulty of the topic) for both teachers and students of philosophy. . . In addition to being of interest to philosophers working in the areas of bioethics, phenomenology, and feminist philosophy, this book could work well in an undergraduate bioethics course, given the ways in which it provokes questions, discussion, debate, and understanding. . . In sum, although Scuro's methodology is boundary-pushing and likely to strike some as controversial, I consider The Pregnancy [does-not-equal] Childbearing Project to be an important, challenging, and urgently needed philosophical work. * Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy * Philosophy has largely ignored the phenomenon of miscarriage, perhaps due to its bodily, conceptual, and political messiness. Scuro's contribution is welcome precisely because it refuses to sanitize or clean up that mess, opting instead for a compelling approach that includes visual representation, personal narrative, phenomenological analysis, and social commentary. In seeking to disentangle pregnancy from its teleological framework, Scuro puts the bodily experience of pregnancy, situated inevitably and precariously within neoliberalism, front and center. -- Ann Cahill, Professor of Philosophy, Elon University, USA In this important book, Jennifer Scuro's lived experience presents a challenge to common ideas and assumptions about motherhood, femininity, and antiabortion politics, as well as to the familiar content and form of philosophy. It is centered on an intensely personal, 176-page graphic novel that details the vivid aspects of Scuro's own miscarriage. Her experience serves as a philosophical allegory, challenging neoliberal and ableist assumptions that presume normalcy, expect results, and promise the false freedom of choice.

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Philosophers are likely to wonder why Scuro chose the unconventional medium of the graphic novel to convey her experience. The narrative flow for the events' unfolding is essential, as are the images. The graphic novel allows us to see things from Scuro's perspective, even as they are blurred by time and sometimes deliberately lacking in detail. [...] These aspects and more make the form of the graphic novel an excellent choice. * International Journal of Feminist Approaches To Bioethics *