In this sweeping history of reproductive surgery in Mexico, Elizabeth O'Brien traces the interstices of religion, reproduction, and obstetric racism from the end of the Spanish empire through the post-revolutionary 1930s. Examining medical ideas about operations (including cesarean section, abortion, hysterectomy, and eugenic sterilization), Catholic theology, and notions of modernity and identity, O'Brien argues that present-day claims about fetal personhood are rooted in the use of surgical force against marginalized and racialized women. This history illuminates the theological, patriarchal, and epistemological roots of obstetric violence and racism today. O'Brien illustrates how ideas about maternal worth and unborn life developed in tandem. Eighteenth-century priests sought to save unborn souls through cesarean section, while nineteenth-century doctors aimed to salvage some unmarried women's social reputations via therapeutic abortion. By the twentieth century, eugenicists wished to regenerate the nation's racial profile, in part by sterilizing women in public clinics. The belief that medical interventions could redeem women, children, and the nation is what O'Brien refers to as "salvation though surgery." As operations acquired racial and religious significances, Indigenous, Afro-Mexican, and mixed-race people's bodies became sites for surgical experimentation. Even during periods of Church-state conflict, O'Brien argues, the religious valences of experimental surgery manifested in embodied expressions of racialized, and often-coercive, medical science.
Elizabeth O'Brien is assistant professor of the history of medicine at Johns Hopkins University.
"A compelling contribution to the expanding historical study of reproductive health in the Americas. . . . O'Brien opens up new methods and materials for the global history of reproductive health and elucidates complex metaphysical, medical, and legal debates with a clarity and precision that make this book well suited for undergraduate readers as well."--Hispanic American Historical Review "A sophisticated analysis of reproductive surgeries in Mexico . . . grounded in theories of reproductive justice, reproductive governance, and obstetric violence."--The Lancet "O'Brien's work is thoughtful towards the victims of obstetric and gynecological violence, past and present. This book is an essential addition for readers seeking to understand how a history of religion and politics can lead to coercive medical practices that affect women's bodies and reproductive liberties."--Reading Religion "Well written and coupled with excellent research, this is a great addition to the history of Mexico as well as the history of women, marginalization, and medical history. An excellent book that covers a lot of ground and is relevant in a number of academic settings."--CHOICE
