Perspectives in Biology and Medicine

abstract:

Doctors often focus on the science of medicine involved in matters of reproductive health and childbirth, at times to the exclusion of the psychosocial and spiritual dimensions of health. Pregnancy and childbirth are clothed in mystery when it comes to the question of why a pregnancy goes well or is fraught with complications. And while explanations may abound in this age of increasing genetic understanding, the meaning attached to these matters is beyond the scope of medicine alone—especially when the newborn’s very survival is in question. Perinatal palliative care can bring solace to such troubling realities.