Cleft As a Stigma

The thesis deals with the impact of orofacial cleft (cleft lip and palate) on family psychosomatics within the psycho-social-ethical framework. It summarises the history, classification and treatment of cleft disorders, followed by an analysis of real-life problems occuring in the process of taking care of a baby with orofacial cleft, specifies terms frequently used when discussing orofacial cleft as a stigma: stigma and stigmatisation, norm and normality, beauty and ugliness.The phenomena of fear and pain, difficulty in communication with the child{\crq}s and the parents{\crq} immediate social surroundings and, the barriers between experts and the parents are dealt with in the thesis. The thesis focuses on orofacial cleft anomalies in connection with Christian ethics. It analyses the relation of abortion and orofacial disorders and the role of hope in the process of taking care and upbringing of a child suffering from this disorder