L'omniprésence de la religion. Les médecins belges et le dilemme obstétrical (1840-1880)

This article examines the intellectual interaction between Catholic and liberal physicians in the nineteenth century based on the ideas put forward during the Belgian medical debate on the obstetrical dilemma. At that time, obstructed labor confronted doctors with a major dilemma : should they choose the life of the mother or that of the child ? A caesarean section (in theory the only operation that could save both the woman and the fetus at term) resulted in the death of most women. Other obstetric procedures, such as medical abortion, offered the woman a better chance of survival but were by definition detrimental to the life or health of the fetus. The seriousness of the choice to be made highlighted ideological boundaries in the medical field. It opened the door to questions that were not strictly scientific, such as the priority between mother and child and the status of the unborn child. Many obstetricians were guided in these cases not only by medical arguments, but also by their philosophical convictions in their choice of one or more obstetric procedures. By analyzing the arguments that dominated this debate between about 1840 and 1880, this article demonstrates that in a predominantly Catholic country like Belgium, it was impossible to exclude religion from medical debates on medical interventions that raised profound ethical questions. In such an ideologically charged context, where personal convictions inspired the actions of doctors in the delivery room, respect for the ideological freedom of each doctor was the only viable solution.

Publication year:2020

Accessibility:Open