A Theology of Becoming

Modern theological approaches to birth have been filtered through an androcentric lens, focusing more on ethical questions of contraception and abortion than on the significance of birth for what it means to be human. In the Catholic tradition, this has been influenced by doctrines and traditions surrounding Mary’s virginal conception of Christ and painless birth.

This Element considers the challenges posed by maternal life to ideas and theories about pregnancy, childbirth, and the re…