Éthique et acculturation. Positions de Montréalais d'origine congolaise sur l'interruption de grossesse

This qualitative research addresses the issue of Quebecers of Congolese origin facing the demands of acculturation, i.e. of the intercultural encounter. Its objective is to explore their ethical viewpoint on the controversial question of abortion, particularly in these four cases: an unplanned pregnancy, an unwanted pregnancy, a pregnancy resulting from a rape and a pregnancy where the embryo is shown to be severely handicapped. To reach this overall objective, three approaches have been used to define the scope of the study, to clarify its purpose and to decide on its theoretical framework, as well as its methodology and its interpretive angle. These are the multidisciplinary heuristic approach, the intercultural psychological approach and the cultural learning approach. With the multidisciplinary heuristic approach, I have used several fields of study within the social sciences to describe the typical characteristics of the sociocultural Congolese and Canadian- Quebecer worlds. I have then addressed the similarities and the differences in the visions of life, humanity, embryos and abortion as well as the values and ethical principles prevailing in both of these contexts. Finally, I have presented, along with their socio-demographic profile, the experiences and the challenges encountered by the Quebecers of Congolese origin, particularly those living in Montreal. The intercultural psychological approach has allowed me to focus on the link between culture and emotional, social and ethical human behavior as well as the preferences and adaptive strategies adopted by individuals or groups belonging to an ethnic minority, such as the participants to this study, once exposed to a majority culture. In a complementary way, the cultural learning approach has helped to identify many sociocultural factors that may increase the productivity and the efficiency of the interactions between different cultural groups, in this case, the intercultural communications between the Quebecers of Congolese origin, the minority, and the old-stock Quebecers, the majority. Through semi-structured interviews, 38 Montreal residents of Congolese origin, including 21 women and 17 men, have expressed their positions on the pregnancy cases presented to them. The analysis of the data collected gives the following results: highlighting the full humanness and sacredness of the embryo, the majority recommends continuing the pregnancy in the cases of unplanned or unwanted pregnancy. However, with regard to a pregnancy resulting from rape, or when the embryo is severely handicapped, several participants, including some of the champions of the total respect due to the embryo, either change their mind and recommend an abortion, or remain undecided. They put forward the freedom to have an abortion, the circumstances of the pregnancy, which they deem unacceptable, the embryo’s poor quality of life, their personal experience and existential conditions. Therefore, contrary to the prevailing discourse, focused on the pro-life/pro-choice alternative, pregnancy presents itself as a sui generis ethical place, filled with all kinds of stresses, fluctuating viewpoints, choices and decisions at times dramatic and paradoxical, depending on the individuals and the circumstances of each pregnancy. One can see there an ethical space where rigid positions alternate with qualified opinions or indecision, thus revealing the sensitive aspect of the respondents’ relationship with the embryo. Finally, the results of the study as a whole have been interpreted in the light of the conditions, the orientations and the effects of acculturation. These results indicate that integration, and not assimilation, is the acculturation strategy adopted by the majority of the respondents with regard to their sociocultural inclusion within the host society. Ethically speaking, a consequence of this acculturation strategy is the unfinished and unpredictable work of ethical intermingling, articulating the diverse ethical principles and values linked to the original culture and to the culture of the pluralist host society.

Keyphrases: Culture, Acculturation, Vie, Embryon/Grossesse, Ethics, Culture, Bioethics, Acculturation, Life, Humanness, Embryo/Pregnancy, Abortion, Quebecers and Montreal Residents of Congolese Origin, Ethical Positions