This book addresses the ethical problems in maternal-fetal medicine which impact directly on clinical practice.

Advances in reproductive and perinatal medicine have given rise to difficult ethical issues. Do all women have the right to choose whether to reproduce? What is the moral status of the fetus during various stages of gestation and what obligations do parents have to the fetus during this period? In this book Carson Strong develops an ethical framework that helps resolve these and many other issues of vital concern to health professionals, policymakers, and the general public. Strong begins by exploring the significance of reproductive freedom, drawing on constitutional law and feminist writings, among other sources. Next he assesses the moral status of offspring during preembryonic, embryonic, fetal, and postnatal stages of development, discussing the obligations of procreators during gestation and offering a new perspective on the idea that the moral standing of the fetus increases as fetal development proceeds. He then suggests an approach to the question of how priorities should be assigned to conflicting values, one that draws on a version of casuistic reasoning.In the second half of the book, Strong applies this ethical framework to some of the problematic areas in reproductive and perinatal medicine. These include prenatal genetic testing for susceptibilities to common diseases and for enhancement of offspring; research using preembryos and embryos; nontraditional family arrangements, such as surrogate motherhood and ovum donation for older women; and treatment of fetuses with anomalies. His discussion takes into account the clinical dimensions of issues and reflects a thorough consideration of the ethical, legal, medical, and psychosocial literature.

Advances in reproductive and perinatal medicine have given rise to difficult ethical issues. Do all women have the right to choose whether to reproduce? What is the moral status of the foetus during various stages of gestation and what obligations do parents have to the foetus during this period? In this book Carson Strong develops an ethical framework that aims to help resolve these and many other issues of concern to health professionals, policymakers and the general public.

Ethics and Perinatology explores the issues concerning moral problems in the care and treatment of the foetus just before birth and the baby just after birth. Each issue is addressed by a clinician whose writing is then discussed by either a medical ethicist, a legal theorist, or an economist.

The rapid development of new technology used in obstetrics and neonatology has been accompanied by new moral problems presented by the choices this technology generates. Ethics and Perinatology is a timely examination of the moral problems caused by clinical and research practices in perinatology. 14 major issues are each addressed by a leading clinician whose writing is then critically reviewed by a medical ethicist, a legal theorist, or an economist. Thus each chapter embodies the independent perspectives of international experts from different disciplines. This book offers a new approach to the presentation of ideas in medical ethics concerning obstetrics and perinatology that will benefit all physicians, nurses, philosophers, and medical ethicists, as well as the interested lay reader.

“Over the last two decades, medical researchers have become more comfortable with the idea that serious attention must be given to ethical issues when the tests of new technologies are being designed. They have come to see that experimental trials must meet certain standards, not only of scientific rigour, but also of moral acceptability.” (Introduction) Presented by an international group of experts, the eight essays included in this volume evaluate the new technologies in fetal care and also wrestle with the new problems, often moral ones, that have accompanied techonological advancement. The opening chapters review state-of-the-art ultrasound imaging and molecular genetics and focus on the new patient—the fetus. From here, the efficacy of fetal therapy, the problem of assessing long-term viability, the ethical issues involved in both clinical practice and medical research, and the legal rights of the new patients and their parents are examined. The final chapter “Are Fetuses Becoming Children?” brings a fresh philosophical perspective to the question of a fetus’s status and rights.

"Legal Issues in Obstetrics explores the law which applies to this important area of medicine. Social and scientific developments in recent years have led to new legal and ethical problems for those practising in obstetrics and the legal framework is stated, with special reference to both well-established and emerging problems. The book covers the reasons for the politicization of pregnancy, and the new emphasis on maternal choice in obstetrics is discussed, together with the attendant legal and ethical dilemmas. The legal regulation of abortion is described, and the important matter of genetic counselling is discussed. After the law of medical negligence is explained, disturbing issues raised by obstetric negligence cases for both patients and medical staff are explored. The legal status of protocols and guidelines, and the consequences for the practice of obstetrics and medical negligence claims are also examined in the context of risk management. Finally the adequacy of the existing legal framework is assessed and the future of the law relating to obstetrics is considered."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This book provides the first clinically comprehensive and practical approach to ethical challenges in perinatal medicine. The first chapter introduces and explains the professional responsibility model of perinatal ethics. The professional responsibility model is based on the medical ethics of two major physician-ethics in the history of Western medical ethics, Dr. John Gregory (1724-1773) of Scotland and Dr. Thomas Percival (1740-1804) of England. The professional responsibility model is used to articulate the ethical concept of the fetus as a patient and to operationalize the ethical principles of beneficence and respect for autonomy. The book provides practical guidance for clinical judgment and decision making with patients about the responsible clinical management of the wide range of issues encountered by perinatologists in clinical practice and research. Topics included: periviability; feticide; intrapartum management; maternal-fetal conflict; innovation for fetal benefit; research for fetal benefit; non-aggressive obstetric management; managing the transition from pregnancy to birth; destructive procedures such as cephalocentesis; critical care for the pregnant patient; home birth; patient-choice cesarean delivery; neonatal care as a trial of management; and setting limits on neonatal care on the basis of clinical judgments of futility.