Is current practice around late termination of pregnancy eugenic and discriminatory? Maternal interests and abortion.
The attitudes of Australian practitioners working in clinical genetics and obstetrical ultrasound were surveyed on whether termination of pregnancy (TOP) should be available for conditions ranging from mild to severe fetal abnormality and for non-medical reasons. These were compared for terminations...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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2001
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| _version_ | 1797066143357206528 |
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| author | Savulescu, J |
| author_facet | Savulescu, J |
| author_sort | Savulescu, J |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | The attitudes of Australian practitioners working in clinical genetics and obstetrical ultrasound were surveyed on whether termination of pregnancy (TOP) should be available for conditions ranging from mild to severe fetal abnormality and for non-medical reasons. These were compared for terminations at 13 weeks and 24 weeks. It was found that some practitioners would not facilitate TOP at 24 weeks even for lethal or major abnormalities, fewer practitioners support TOP at 24 weeks compared with 13 weeks for any condition, and the difference in attitudes to TOP between 13 weeks and 24 weeks is most marked for pregnancies which are normal or involve a mild disorder. It is argued that a fetal abnormality criterion for late TOP is inconsistently applied, discriminatory and eugenic. Four possible moral justifications for current practice are examined, each of which would require significant changes to current practice. I argue in favour of a maternal interests criterion for any TOP. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T21:38:11Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:46fd0ee0-c29e-4747-b0a3-5b750727fa75 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T21:38:11Z |
| publishDate | 2001 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:46fd0ee0-c29e-4747-b0a3-5b750727fa752022-03-26T15:17:11ZIs current practice around late termination of pregnancy eugenic and discriminatory? Maternal interests and abortion.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:46fd0ee0-c29e-4747-b0a3-5b750727fa75EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2001Savulescu, JThe attitudes of Australian practitioners working in clinical genetics and obstetrical ultrasound were surveyed on whether termination of pregnancy (TOP) should be available for conditions ranging from mild to severe fetal abnormality and for non-medical reasons. These were compared for terminations at 13 weeks and 24 weeks. It was found that some practitioners would not facilitate TOP at 24 weeks even for lethal or major abnormalities, fewer practitioners support TOP at 24 weeks compared with 13 weeks for any condition, and the difference in attitudes to TOP between 13 weeks and 24 weeks is most marked for pregnancies which are normal or involve a mild disorder. It is argued that a fetal abnormality criterion for late TOP is inconsistently applied, discriminatory and eugenic. Four possible moral justifications for current practice are examined, each of which would require significant changes to current practice. I argue in favour of a maternal interests criterion for any TOP. |
| spellingShingle | Savulescu, J Is current practice around late termination of pregnancy eugenic and discriminatory? Maternal interests and abortion. |
| title | Is current practice around late termination of pregnancy eugenic and discriminatory? Maternal interests and abortion. |
| title_full | Is current practice around late termination of pregnancy eugenic and discriminatory? Maternal interests and abortion. |
| title_fullStr | Is current practice around late termination of pregnancy eugenic and discriminatory? Maternal interests and abortion. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is current practice around late termination of pregnancy eugenic and discriminatory? Maternal interests and abortion. |
| title_short | Is current practice around late termination of pregnancy eugenic and discriminatory? Maternal interests and abortion. |
| title_sort | is current practice around late termination of pregnancy eugenic and discriminatory maternal interests and abortion |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT savulescuj iscurrentpracticearoundlateterminationofpregnancyeugenicanddiscriminatorymaternalinterestsandabortion |