Feticide during second- and third-trimester termination of pregnancy: opinions of health care professionals

Abstract

Objective: To study the opinions of professionals on feticide being performed as the first step of late termination of pregnancy (TOP).

Setting: Tertiary care obstetrical unit with policy of routine feticide in late TOP.

Method: Questionnaire survey.

Results: 101/109 professionals responded (23 midwives, 22 doctors, 24 nurses, 21 auxiliaries, 9 others). 90 had heard of feticide, 83 knew about how and 38 about when the procedure was done. When asked about what the goals of feticide were, 94 respondents quoted, 'preventing parents from facing neonatal agony', 73 'avoiding fetal pain', 85 'preventing labor ward staff from facing neonatal agony', and 60 'complying with legal rules'. 54 respondents thought feticide was beneficial to their patients or improved their own professional practice, and 71 declared the procedure was emotionally positive, yet stressful. 48 respondents declared lacking information on feticide. Respondents who had attended to feticide at least once (n = 59) knew more on feticide, and were more positive on the impact feticide had on their practice than those who had never attended a feticide (n = 42).

Conclusions: In a highly specialized center, professionals had positive opinions on feticide, expecting it would avoid fetal or neonatal agony and pain.