Abstract
Research in fetal surgery is currently ethically controversial, especially because it poses risks to both the fetus and the pregnant woman. We provide an ethical framework for fetal surgery research based on the concept of the fetus as a patient. This framework results in criteria for preliminary investigation of new fetal surgery techniques, for the initiation and termination of clinical trials, the informed consent process, inclusion or exclusion of women based on abortion preferences and the obligations of physicians to refer patients to fetal research protocols. We demonstrate the applicability of this framework to fetal surgery research for spina bifida, a common fetal anomaly.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 221-230 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Best Practice and Research: Clinical Anaesthesiology |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 1 2004 |
Keywords
- Ethics
- Fetal research
- Fetal surgery
- Fetus as a patient
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
- Psychology(all)