Dominating Grief: An Ambiguously Augustinian Approach to Pregnancy Loss

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2025

Department

Department of Humanities

Abstract

This chapter explores the nature of pregnancy, the soul, and the profound loss experienced in miscarriage through the lens of Augustine's writings. In the first section, “Augustine, Pregnancy, and the Soul,” I revisit my previous work, highlighting how Augustine's thoughts on these topics may offer a Christian perspective on miscarriage discourse. The second section, “Domination through Language: Miscarriage as the Absent Referent of Abortion Discourse,” examines how miscarriage victims are rendered invisible, as their experience is often appropriated as a metaphor in broader abortion debates. In the third section, “Domination through Legislation: a Personal Account,” I intertwine my own experiences with pregnancy loss with recent US legislative actions, discussing how political and legal measures contribute to the domination of women. Finally, in “Consolations in Grief: Towards An Augustinian Ambiguity,” I draw on Augustine's uncertainty regarding the nature and origin of the human soul to propose an ambiguous yet consoling perspective on miscarriage. Through these reflections, the chapter invites a nuanced engagement with the complex emotional, spiritual, and political dimensions of pregnancy loss.

Publication Title

Augustine and Frontiers of Pluralism

ISBN

[9781040348291, 9781032784076]

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