Utilizing a Theological Lens to Address a Loss of Identity in Indian Christian Women in America Facing Infertility

Due to a pronatalist culture, infertility amongst Indian populations has been heavily stigmatized. Harms associated with this stigma are exacerbated by the intersectionality of being both an Indian and a Christian woman in the United States. This stigmatization has resulted in women facing infertility to encounter various harms including the following: a loss of identity, abandonment, mental health distress, abuse, social exclusion, marital discord, and blame. Indian Christian women in the United States are currently hindered from utilizing available support resources due to the existence of stigma. In this project, I demonstrate how the intersectionality of pronatalist cultures has heightened a loss of identity for Indian Christian women in the United States, and offer recommendations on how the stigma around infertility built into healthcare access ought to be de-structuralized. Throughout history, folklore has been used as a means of de-stigmatization. I recommend utilizing a theological lens to analyze the various narratives of women encountering infertility in the Bible, including Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, Michal, and Elizabeth, and integrating it into narrative therapies. In addition, by acknowledging the loss of identity faced by biblical women due to infertility via a theological lens, Indian Christian communities in the United States would be better equipped to implement coping spaces for women in their communities facing a loss of identity.