Care, sacrifice, and reproductive justice - with Inge van Nistelrooij

Is self-sacrifice a vital component of care for others, or does a feminist ethic of care make it problematic? Is caring something that we choose to do, or a responsibility that is given to us? And how can care ethics provide a framework for promoting reproductive justice?

These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Inge van Nistelrooij. Inge is a care ethicist, based in the Netherlands. She currently works as a self-employed ethicist with care organisations, as a consultant for professional care practices, as an ethics educator for professional teams, and as a facilitator of ethical reflection and ethical case deliberation. She is also a part-time Associate Professor of Care Ethics at the University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht. Inge studied for a doctorate in Theology at the University of Tilburg with Annelies von Heijst, and her prize-winning thesis was published in book form in 1996 as Martha and Mary Revisited: Care as Ethical Perspective. Inge then spent a number of years working for religious organisations and as an ethics trainer, and also as an ethics policy advisor in care organisations, publishing in 2008 The Basic Book of Care Ethics, a book for care workers in nursing, social work, spiritual care and medical professions, a revised version of which came out in 2022. Inge went on to study for a PhD at the University of Humanistic Studies, with Frans Vosman, and her thesis was published in book form in 2014 as Sacrifice: A Care Ethical Reappraisal of Sacrifice and Self-Sacrifice. Since then, Inge has published widely in the field of care ethics, on subjects such as empathy and relationality, with a recent focus on pregnancy and childbirth. She was one of the co-editors of the 2022 collection Care Ethics, Religion and Spiritual Traditions, and she is co editor of the book Recommitting to Reproduction: Shifting Care Ethics Towards Reproductive Justice, which will be published next year. Inge's Dutch-language monograph Baarzaam: Basisboek Zorgethiek voor zwangerschap, geboortezorg en ouderschap (‘Basic book - Care ethics for pregnancy, maternity care and parenthood’) is also planned for 2025.

We discuss the following topics in this episode:

Inge's journey from theology to care ethics (03:16)

The influence of Annelies van Heijst (07:33)

Inge's work with care organisations (12:07)

Inge's doctoral research on sacrifice and self-sacrifice in care (16:18)

Literary representations of self-sacrifice (21:20)

The influence of feminist theology on Inge's thinking (29:00)

Jean-Luc Marion on givenness and responsibility (34:05)

Paul Ricoeur on identity as narrative (40:10)

Obstetric violence and reproductive care (42:17)

Maternity and feminist care ethics (48:17)

Inge's forthcoming publications on care ethics and reproductive justice (52:20)

A selection of Inge's recent publications

'Reimagining relationality for reproductive care: understanding obstetric violence as "separation"'

'The Undercommons of Childbirth and Their Abolitionist Ethic of Care. A Study into Obstetric Violence Among Mothers, Midwives (in Training), and Doulas'

'Shroud Waving Self Determination, A Qualitative Analysis of the Moral and Epistemic Dimensions of Obstetric Violence in the Netherlands'

Other publications discussed in the episode

Leo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

J.M. Coetzee, Disgrace

Some of the thinkers, writers and researchers mentioned in the episode

Annelies van Heijst

Frans Vosman

Emmanuel Levinas

Catharina Halkes

Jean-Luc Marion

Emmanuel Housset

Axel Honneth

Paul Ricoeur

Merel Visse

Sophie Bourgault

Barbara Duden

Andrea O'Reilly

Rodante van der Waal

Marit van der Pijl

Femmianne Bredewold

Links

Care Ethics Research Consortium

For a transcript of this episode, follow this link to the Careful Thinking Substack.