Cases illustrating variables relevant to the decisions of pregnant women about methods of childbirth, elective cesarean delivery, impaired newborns, and sex assignment at birth are presented. For each topic, empirical and theoretical factors relevant to the cases are discussed from an “egalitarian perspective” that imputes privileged status to the standpoint of those who are “nondominant”. Implications of different positions about moral status of fetuses and newborns are also considered.
Keywords: childbirth, cesarean delivery, impaired newborns, sex assignment, moral status, fetus, pregnant woman, dominant standpoint, nondominant standpoint, egalitarian perspective