When Is Termination of Pregnancy during the Third Trimester Morally Justifiable?
- 23 February 1984
- journal article
- Published by Massachusetts Medical Society in New England Journal of Medicine
- Vol. 310 (8) , 501-504
- https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm198402233100806
Abstract
The question whether to terminate pregnancy during the third trimester involves a moral conflict. We argue that such termination is morally justifiable if two conditions are fulfilled: first, that the fetus is afflicted with a condition that is either incompatible with postnatal survival for more than a few weeks or characterized by the total or virtual absence of cognitive function; and second, that highly reliable diagnostic procedures are available for determining prenatally that the fetus fulfills either of the two parts of the first condition.Keywords
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