Ethics and reproductive medicine

Question 1

What does the law say about abortion?

Answer 1

• Lawful at any gestation if
  – Necessary to save the life of the woman
  – Necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman
  – There is a substantial risk that the child if born would be seriously handicapped
• Lawful up to 24 weeks if
  – the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or any existing children of her family

Question 2

Within 14 days after an abortion, what are medial practitioners legally obliged to do?

Answer 2

• Notify the chief medical officer through HSA4

Question 3

A pregnancy may only be terminated if

Answer 3

• Two registered medical practitioners have certified that they are of the opinion, formed in good faith, that at least one and the same ground for abortion exists.

Question 4

What are the different types of termination?

Answer 4

• Medical-’abortionpill’
• Vacuumextraction
• Surgical dilation and currettage
• Pregnancy induced
• Surgical removal of fetus

Question 5

What is conscientious objection?

Answer 5

• Can choose not to be involved with services or procedures on personal moral grounds
• Must do your best to make this known in advance and make your seniors/employers are aware
• Cannot discriminate or harass patients, or imply judgement
• You must not obstruct patients from accessing services or leave them with nowhere to turn
• Must provide emergency care

Question 6

What is the regulations surrounding IVF?

Answer 6

• Single embryo transfer max 2 embryos … others frozen

Question 7

What are the legalities surrounding surrogacy?

Answer 7

• The surrogate mother is treated legally as the mother of the child (HFEA Act 2008)
• Commissioning parents gain custody by adoption or by gaining a parental order

Question 8

What are the legalities surrounding egg/sperm donor?

Answer 8

• Donor can not have name of children but can be told of gender and amount of children
• Children can know the details of their donor once they turn 18

Question 9

What is mitochondrial donation?

Answer 9

• Allows mitochondrial replacement so that a child that might have a mitochondrial disease can be disease free at embryonic stage
• 3rd parent ??