Is a fetus a non-consenting patient?

Abstract

Question: In the 1960s, Dr Cameron, a Montreal, Que, psychiatrist, experimented with drug-induced sleep and electroconvulsive therapy for psychiatric patients, believing that this method "wipes them clean of harmful memories." In 1992 the government of Canada settled lawsuits by former patients of Dr Cameron, awarding them large payments. The government rejected a similar claim by Lloyd Schrier, whose mother had been treated by Dr Cameron while she was carrying Lloyd, arguing that Lloyd was not Cameron's patient. Or was he?

Answer: The fetus was exposed to the medications taken by his mother, (eg, barbiturates) and thus qualifies as an unconsenting patient.