Based on literature mapping out what anthropological research has recorded about abortion in different societies, Luc Boltanski establishes a set of unchanging characteristics. There is no human society unaware of the possibility of voluntarily interrupting pregnancy. Although it is the target of general condemnation, the practice is tolerated, being identified as something on which to "turn a blind eye." Particularly, abortion suffers from a representational "deficit". It rarely appears in narratives or images - differently from, for instance, birth, death or even suicide. Furthermore, abortion is not associated to any form of ritual or symbolism. Such trait is essential for the author to explain his stance on the process of engendering new unique human beings, which is both a biological and s symbolic process.
abortion; engendering; representations