| Prenatal diagnosis and abortion for congenital abnormalities: is it ethical to provide one without the other? | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 19998163 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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This target article considers the ethical implications of providing prenatal diagnosis (PND) and antenatal screening services to detect fetal abnormalities in jurisdictions that prohibit abortion for these conditions. This unusual health policy context is common in the Latin American region. Congenital conditions are often untreated or under-treated in developing countries due to limited health resources, leading many women/couples to prefer termination of affected pregnancies. Three potential harms derive from the provision of PND in the absence of legal and safe abortion for these conditions: psychological distress, unjust distribution of burdens between socio-economic classes, and financial burdens for families and society. We present Iran as a comparative case study where recognition of these ethical issues has led to the liberalization of abortion laws for fetuses with thalassemia. We argue that physicians, geneticists and policymakers have an ethical and professional duty of care to advocate for change in order to ameliorate these harms. |
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Authors:
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Angela Ballantyne; Ainsley Newson; Florencia Luna; Richard Ashcroft |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: The American journal of bioethics : AJOB Volume: 9 ISSN: 1536-0075 ISO Abbreviation: Am J Bioeth Publication Date: 2009 Aug |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2009-12-09 Completed Date: 2009-12-30 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 100898738 Medline TA: Am J Bioeth Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 48-56 Citation Subset: E; IM |
Affiliation:
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Donaghue Initiative in Biomedical and Behavioral Research Ethics, Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, Yale University/ISPS, 77 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. a.j.ballantyne@gmail.com |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Abortion, Eugenic
/
adverse effects,
ethics*,
legislation & jurisprudence*,
statistics & numerical data Abortion, Legal / ethics Adult Brazil Congenital Abnormalities / diagnosis* Developed Countries / statistics & numerical data Developing Countries / statistics & numerical data Female Health Policy / legislation & jurisprudence, trends Humans Iran Latin America Mass Screening* / ethics Pregnancy Pregnancy, Unwanted / ethics, psychology* Prenatal Diagnosis* / ethics Social Justice Socioeconomic Factors Stress, Psychological / etiology |
| Comments/Corrections | |
Comment In:
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Am J Bioeth. 2009 Aug;9(8):58-60
[PMID:
19998165
]
Am J Bioeth. 2009 Aug;9(8):65-7 [PMID: 19998168 ] Am J Bioeth. 2009 Aug;9(8):61-3 [PMID: 19998166 ] Am J Bioeth. 2009 Aug;9(8):63-5 [PMID: 19998167 ] Am J Bioeth. 2009 Aug;9(8):W6-7 [PMID: 19998146 ] Am J Bioeth. 2009 Aug;9(8):67-9 [PMID: 19998169 ] Am J Bioeth. 2009 Aug;9(8):69-70 [PMID: 19998170 ] Am J Bioeth. 2009 Aug;9(8):70-2 [PMID: 19998171 ] Am J Bioeth. 2009 Aug;9(8):57-8 [PMID: 19998164 ] |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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