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Pregnancy: Ethical Issues of Vaccine Refusal

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Hot Topics in Human Reproduction

Part of the book series: Reproductive Medicine for Clinicians ((REMECL,volume 3))

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Abstract

COVID-19 infection during pregnancy causes higher rates of morbidity and mortality of the pregnant individual and of the fetus, as compared to nonpregnant individuals. Approved vaccines are effective in preventing infection and serious illness and are safe both for the pregnant individual and for the fetus.

Ethically, based on the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence, healthcare providers should encourage, council, and recommend to every pregnant individual at any stage of pregnancy to accept the vaccination. In cases of hesitancy, healthcare providers ought to explore the reasons for the hesitancy, explain the reasons in favor of vaccination, alley unfounded fears, refute fake information, and strongly recommend vaccination.

If, despite best efforts to convince vaccination, the pregnant individual refuses, she should not be coerced to be vaccinated based on the principle of autonomy.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Ethics Unit, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel

    Avraham Steinberg

Authors
  1. Avraham Steinberg
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Correspondence to Avraham Steinberg .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hebrew University - Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel

    Joseph G. Schenker

  2. Gynaecological Endocrinology and Reproduction, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Martin H. Birkhaeuser

  3. Department of Reproductive Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Andrea R. Genazzani

  4. Campus Kiel, University Clinics of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany

    Liselotte Mettler

  5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL, USA

    John J. Sciarra

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Steinberg, A. (2023). Pregnancy: Ethical Issues of Vaccine Refusal. In: Schenker, J.G., Birkhaeuser, M.H., Genazzani, A.R., Mettler, L., Sciarra, J.J. (eds) Hot Topics in Human Reproduction. Reproductive Medicine for Clinicians, vol 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24903-7_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24903-7_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-24902-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-24903-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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