Accoe, Dorian, Adkins, Victoria, Romanis, Elizabeth Chloe and Segers, Seppe (2026) Reproducing guilt: challenging the ‘inappropriateness’ of guilt after pregnancy loss. International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics (IJFAB). ISSN 1937-4585 (Print), 1937-4577 (Online) (In Press)

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Abstract

Feelings of guilt have been reported by (formerly) pregnant people, for example, after miscarriage, stillbirth, induced abortion, or preterm birth. These observations are no mere empirical matter, but infused with assumptions of whether they fit considerations – ‘schemes’ – of guilt. When an experience of guilt does not fit this scheme, for example, in the absence of some kind of responsibility or unfavorable state-of-affairs, it is sometimes held that the (formerly) pregnant person should not feel that way. In this article, we (i) scrutinize attributions of guilt, (ii) problematize philosophical approaches to guilt – especially Thomas Scanlon’s approach – and to moral emotions more broadly, and (iii) criticize such theoretical-normative interventions in light of socio-political expectations surrounding pregnancy. We conclude that, rather than denouncing experiences of guilt in perinatal contexts as ‘inapt’ or ‘misplaced’, we should address the norms and expectations that trigger and cultivate such feelings.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	pregnancy, pregnancy loss, guilt, moral emotion
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology K Law > K Law (General) R Medicine > RG Gynecology and obstetrics
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences > Centre for Communities and Social Justice Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences > School of Law and Criminology
Last Modified:	03 Feb 2026 10:50
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/52390

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