Lori M Gawron1, Katie Watson2. 1. University of Utah School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 30N 1900E Rm 2B-200, Salt Lake City, UT 84132. Electronic address: lori.gawron@hsc.utah.edu. 2. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, Rubloff Building Suite 625, 750N Lakeshore Dr, Chicago, IL 60611. Electronic address: k-watson@northwestern.edu.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: We explored whether the decision-making process of women aborting a pregnancy for a fetal indication fit common medical ethical frameworks. STUDY DESIGN: We applied three ethical frameworks (principlism, care ethics, and narrative ethics) in a secondary analysis of 30 qualitative interviews from women choosing 2nd trimester abortion for fetal indications. RESULTS: All 30 women offered reasoning consistent with one or more ethical frameworks. Principlism themes included avoidance of personal suffering (autonomy), and sparing a child a poor quality of life and painful medical interventions (beneficence/non-maleficence). Care ethics reasoning included relational considerations of family needs and resources, and narrative ethics reasoning contextualized this experience into the patient's life story. CONCLUSIONS: This population's universal application of commonly accepted medical ethical frameworks supports the position that patients choosing fetal indication abortions should be treated as moral decision-makers and given the same respect as patients making decisions about other medical procedures. IMPLICATIONS: These findings suggest recent political efforts blocking abortion access should be reframed as attempts to undermine the moral decision-making of women. Published by Elsevier Inc.
OBJECTIVES: We explored whether the decision-making process of women aborting a pregnancy for a fetal indication fit common medical ethical frameworks. STUDY DESIGN: We applied three ethical frameworks (principlism, care ethics, and narrative ethics) in a secondary analysis of 30 qualitative interviews from women choosing 2nd trimester abortion for fetal indications. RESULTS: All 30 women offered reasoning consistent with one or more ethical frameworks. Principlism themes included avoidance of personal suffering (autonomy), and sparing a child a poor quality of life and painful medical interventions (beneficence/non-maleficence). Care ethics reasoning included relational considerations of family needs and resources, and narrative ethics reasoning contextualized this experience into the patient's life story. CONCLUSIONS: This population's universal application of commonly accepted medical ethical frameworks supports the position that patients choosing fetal indication abortions should be treated as moral decision-makers and given the same respect as patients making decisions about other medical procedures. IMPLICATIONS: These findings suggest recent political efforts blocking abortion access should be reframed as attempts to undermine the moral decision-making of women. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Entities:
Keywords:
Abortion; Fetal anomaly; Medical ethics; Stigma