Critical care decisions in fetal and neonatal medicine: ethical issues

The Council published a report in 2006 which examines the ethical, social, and legal dilemmas raised by fetal and neonatal medicine.

When making decisions about a newborn baby, in many instances there will not be an answer that is clearly ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. The report concentrates upon how a decision should be arrived at and who should make the decision.

The report was produced by a Working Party which included neonatologists, an obstetrician, a children’s nursing professor, philosophers, social scientists, lawyers, a health economist, and individuals who have worked with families of extremely premature babies and disabled children.