Termination of pregnancy as emergency obstetric care

The interpretation of Catholic health policy and the consequences for pregnant women

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3972869
AutoresMarge Berer (0000-0001-6139-497X, autor de correspondencia)
Año2013
Volumen21
Número41
Páginas9-17
Fecha de publicación2013-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaReproductive Health Matters (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0968-8080 • E-ISSN: 1460-9576
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1016/s0968-8080(13)41711-1
PMID23684182
OpenAlexW2055279683
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas11
Referencias citadas4

Issues arising from the death of Savita Halappanavar in Ireland in October 2012 include the question of whether it is unethical to refuse to terminate a non-viable pregnancy when the woman's life may be at risk. In Catholic maternity services, this decision intersects with health professionals' interpretation of Catholic health policy on treatment of miscarriage as well as the law on abortion. This paper explores how these issues came together around Savita's death and the consequences for pregnant women and maternity services worldwide. It discusses cases not only in Ireland but also the Americas. Many of the events presented are recent, and most of the sources are media and individual reports. However, there is a very worrying common thread across countries and continents. If further research unearths more cases like Savita's, any Catholic health professionals and/or hospitals refusing to terminate a pregnancy as emergency obstetric care should be stripped of their right to provide maternity services. In some countries these are the main or only existing maternity services. Even so, governments should refuse to fund these services, and either replace them with non-religious services or require that non-religious staff are available at all times specifically to take charge of such cases to prevent unnecessary deaths. At issue is whether a woman's life comes first or not at all

Abortion · Abortion law · Environmental health · Family planning · Health care · Maternal death · Miscarriage · Political science · Population · Pregnancy · Unsafe abortion · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse · Law · Medicine · Nursing · Reproductive Health and Contraception