Visual Wonders and Shocks : Images of Human Fetuses in Television Programs on Abortion and Fetal Research, 1969–1988
(2024) In Clio Medica 107. p.352-375- Abstract
- This chapter explores and compares the different uses of images of human fetuses in a number of Swedish television programs dealing with the controversial issue of fetal research in the period from the late 1960s to the late 1980s. Drawing on previous discussions on fetal imagery and ‘the public fetus,’ the analysis focuses on the different representational strategies used in a sample of programs produced during the era and reactions to the images in other media. The chapter begins with a discussion of a controversial television program on abortion broadcast in 1969 and proceeds to discuss three different examples of programs reporting on the issue of fetal research in the 1980s. The conclusion is that images that—in contrast to Lennart... (More)
- This chapter explores and compares the different uses of images of human fetuses in a number of Swedish television programs dealing with the controversial issue of fetal research in the period from the late 1960s to the late 1980s. Drawing on previous discussions on fetal imagery and ‘the public fetus,’ the analysis focuses on the different representational strategies used in a sample of programs produced during the era and reactions to the images in other media. The chapter begins with a discussion of a controversial television program on abortion broadcast in 1969 and proceeds to discuss three different examples of programs reporting on the issue of fetal research in the 1980s. The conclusion is that images that—in contrast to Lennart Nilsson’s famous images—represented the fetus as dead or dying met with much criticism in the decades following the 1960s. Hence, they were generally avoided in television. Moreover, the chapter highlights the transnational circulation of images of fetuses during the era and discusses how fetal images originating from US sources were understood in the Swedish context. (Less)
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https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/d52be9f3-8bbc-4f7f-8b23-a7ccadae1133
- author
- Björklund, Elisabet LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- host publication
- Histories of Fetal Knowledge Production in Sweden : Medicine, Politics, and Public Controversy, 1530–2020 - Medicine, Politics, and Public Controversy, 1530–2020
- series title
- Clio Medica
- editor
- Jülich, Solveig
- volume
- 107
- pages
- 34 pages
- publisher
- Brill
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85206341255
- ISSN
- 1875-6689
- 0045-7183
- ISBN
- 978-90-04-53673-9
- 978-90-04-70375-9
- DOI
- 10.1163/9789004703759_015
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- d52be9f3-8bbc-4f7f-8b23-a7ccadae1133
- date added to LUP
- 2024-10-17 22:29:32
- date last changed
- 2025-07-03 18:19:41
@inbook{d52be9f3-8bbc-4f7f-8b23-a7ccadae1133,
abstract = {{This chapter explores and compares the different uses of images of human fetuses in a number of Swedish television programs dealing with the controversial issue of fetal research in the period from the late 1960s to the late 1980s. Drawing on previous discussions on fetal imagery and ‘the public fetus,’ the analysis focuses on the different representational strategies used in a sample of programs produced during the era and reactions to the images in other media. The chapter begins with a discussion of a controversial television program on abortion broadcast in 1969 and proceeds to discuss three different examples of programs reporting on the issue of fetal research in the 1980s. The conclusion is that images that—in contrast to Lennart Nilsson’s famous images—represented the fetus as dead or dying met with much criticism in the decades following the 1960s. Hence, they were generally avoided in television. Moreover, the chapter highlights the transnational circulation of images of fetuses during the era and discusses how fetal images originating from US sources were understood in the Swedish context.}},
author = {{Björklund, Elisabet}},
booktitle = {{Histories of Fetal Knowledge Production in Sweden : Medicine, Politics, and Public Controversy, 1530–2020}},
editor = {{Jülich, Solveig}},
isbn = {{978-90-04-53673-9}},
issn = {{1875-6689}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{352--375}},
publisher = {{Brill}},
series = {{Clio Medica}},
title = {{Visual Wonders and Shocks : Images of Human Fetuses in Television Programs on Abortion and Fetal Research, 1969–1988}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004703759_015}},
doi = {{10.1163/9789004703759_015}},
volume = {{107}},
year = {{2024}},
}