Abstract

Neonatal suffering has been the focus of recent debates in pediatric bioethics and suffering theory. How can we access and conceptualize the suffering that can be attributed to newborns? How are we to discern the suffering of newborns who are non-neurotypical and may have short lives and severe neurocognitive disabilities, in addition to being entirely dependent on people or life-sustaining technologies? Phenomenology has provided valuable tools for analyzing the human experiences of suffering, but its application to neonatal suffering comes with fundamental challenges. In this paper, I consider recent contributions for elucidating the phenomenon of neonatal suffering, especially those in the field of non-experiential theories of suffering. Based on this review, a recent phenomenological approach to suffering is examined. Explicitly directed toward narrative persons, that approach appears to be inherently limited in elucidating the phenomenon of neonatal pediatric suffering. A suggestion is offered for partially elaborating the theoretical foundations of a phenomenological theory of neonatal suffering. This suggestion points towards a program for a phenomenology of the existential feelings of newborns.