Hannah Arendt, Natality, and the Moral Work of Modern Obstetrics

What a political philosopher can teach us about autonomy, responsibility, and the fragile beginnings we safeguard in labor and delivery.

1. Introducing Hannah Arendt and the Idea of Natality

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) was a political theorist whose work examined how human lives begin, how societies assume responsibility, and how harm becomes normalized when people stop thinking critically.

Although she wrote outside the field of medicine, her concept of natality speaks directly to obstetri…