Reproductive decisions under threat of predation: squirrel treefrog (Hyla squirella) responses to banded sunfish (Enneacanthus obesus)

Oecologia ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 130 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Binckley ◽  
William J. Resetarits
Hypatia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Amber Knight ◽  
Joshua Miller

AbstractNoninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) promises to enhance women's reproductive autonomy by providing genetic information about the fetus, especially in the detection of genetic impairments like Down syndrome (DS). In practice, however, NIPT provides opportunities for intensified manipulation and control over women's reproductive decisions. Applying Miranda Fricker's concept of epistemic injustice to prenatal screening, this article analyzes how medical professionals impair reproductive decision-making by perpetuating testimonial injustice. They do so by discrediting positive parental testimony about what it is like to raise a child with DS. We argue that this testimonial injustice constitutes a twofold harm: (1) people with DS and their family members who claim that parenting a child with DS may be a rewarding and joyous experience are harmed when they are systematically silenced, disbelieved, and/or denied epistemic credibility by medical professionals, and (2) pregnant women are harmed since they might make poorly informed choices without access to all relevant information. The broader implication of the analysis is that epistemic justice is a precondition of reproductive autonomy. We conclude by calling for federal oversight of the acquisition and dissemination of information that prospective parents receive following a positive diagnosis of DS to ensure that it is comprehensive and up to date.


2015 ◽  
Vol 122 (5) ◽  
pp. 1151-1156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle A. Owens ◽  
Benjamin M. Craig ◽  
Kathleen M. Egan ◽  
Damon R. Reed

OBJECT To the authors' knowledge, no previous study has examined the impact of meningioma diagnosis on women's birth desires and intentions. In an exploratory study, the authors surveyed women affected by meningioma to determine their attitudes toward childbearing and the influences, including physician recommendations, on this major life decision and compared their responses to those of women in the general population. METHODS Meningioma survivors from the Meningioma Mommas online support group participated in an online survey that included questions on their birth desires and intentions, whether the risk of disease recurrence influenced their reproductive decisions, and risks communicated to them by their physicians. Using chi-square and rank-sum tests, the authors compared the survey participants' responses with those of the general population as assessed by the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth. Logistic regression was used to adjust for differences in age, race, ethnicity, education, parity, pregnancy status, and infertility status in these populations. RESULTS Respondents with meningioma were more likely than those in the general population to report wanting a baby (70% vs 54%, respectively), intending to have a baby (27% vs 12%, respectively), and being very sure about this intention (10% vs 2%, respectively). More than half (32 of 61) of the women of childbearing age reported being advised by a physician about potential risk factors for recurrence of the meningioma, and pregnancy was the most commonly cited risk factor (26 of 61). The most common factor influencing birth desires and intentions was risk of the meningioma returning and requiring more treatment, which was reported by nearly two-thirds of the women in their childbearing years. CONCLUSIONS A majority of the meningioma survivors of childbearing age who completed the survey reported a desire for children, although concern about the risk of meningioma recurrence was an important factor for these women when making reproductive decisions. Physicians are in a position to educate their patients on potential risk factors for recurrence and to provide contact information for services such as counseling and family planning.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 600-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bob B. M. Wong ◽  
Marja Järvenpää ◽  
Kai Lindström

Reproductive activities are often conspicuous and can increase the risk of predation. Evidence suggests that individuals are capable of responding to predators in a risk-sensitive manner. However, most studies tend to consider only the predator-mediated responses of males and females in isolation and with little regard to differences in local environmental conditions. Here, we experimentally investigate the effects of environmental visibility (turbidity) and predation risk on reproductive decisions in the sand goby, Pomatoschistus minutus , when exposed to a visually oriented predator, the European perch, Perca fluviatilis . We found that gobies were more reluctant to spawn in the predator's presence, although larger males spawned sooner than smaller males. Interestingly, latency to spawning was unaffected by the visual environment, suggesting that gobies may be relying on non-visual cues under turbid conditions.


2021 ◽  
pp. 123-152
Author(s):  
Mie Nakachi

The falling birth rate in 1948 became a political problem, and all demographic data were made secret thereafter. V. N. Starovskii, the head of the Central Statistical Administration, suggested that the rising number of illegal abortions was the primary cause of the declining birth rate. Saddled with this allegation, the medical and legal professions undertook comprehensive study of both legal and illegal abortion, including a survey of illegal abortion, compiled through interviews with hundreds of women hospitalized after botched abortions. The results led to a shift in reformist focus from prosecution to prevention, and a new understanding of the causes underlying Soviet women’s reproductive decisions.


Author(s):  
Eva Feder Kittay

Inquiring into the relation between reproductive decision-making and the unexpected, this chapter claims that reproductive choices around disability bring out inherent paradoxes of choice in the face of uncertainty. Arguing that reproductive decisions around disability, like all reproductive decisions, must be left to the person carrying the child, this chapter also insists that reproductive choices attend to the role of chance and unexpected outcomes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Radoslava Vazharova ◽  
Svetlana Vragaleva ◽  
Violeta Dimitrova ◽  
Samuil Ivanov ◽  
Lubomir Balabanski ◽  
...  

Congenital anomalies affect 1% to 2% of the newborns. The urinary tract and the kidneys are involved in 4-5% of the cases while upper-extremities abnormalities are present in 10%. Certain anomalies occur in isolation, whereas others are associated with systemic conditions. The prenatal detection of fetal anomalies compatible with life is a challenge for both the parents and the physician. The prognosis for the fetus/newborn and the reproductive decisions of the family largely depend on the causes underlying the disease. The reported case is of a G2P1 pregnant woman referred for routine ultrasound scan at 24 weeks of gestation (w.g.). The fetus had growth retardation, right kidney agenesis, bilateral absence of radial bones and thumbs, radial deviation of the wrists, and short humeri. Nuchal fold thickness was 5 mm and there was a single umbilical artery. After termination of pregnancy, SNP array genotyping and next-generation sequencing of targeted candidate-genes were performed trying to clarify the etiology of the fetal polymalformative syndrome. A new hypomorphic mutation inFANCD2gene was found to underlie this fetal anomaly. The case illustrates that patients/families affected by rare monogenic disorders may benefit from application of modern technologies like microarrays and NGS.


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