Fetal therapy: ethical and legal implications of prenatal intervention and clinical application

Abstract

Recent advances in antenatal diagnosis have stimulated interest in the development of techniques for in utero treatment of fetal abnormalities. This article identifies and discusses the ethical and legal problems which emerge from fetal therapy. Is a fetus a patient? Does the fetus have rights? Who should give consent for the unborn? Does the fetus have redress if it is injured? Could a pregnant woman be forced to undergo treatment which could endanger her life and health for the benefit of the fetus? Answers to these questions are not clear and create in themselves additional queries. Until fetal therapy becomes an accepted medical practice, the resolution of the ethical and legal issues that it provokes will probably remain inconclusive and a matter of concern.