Abstract
The objectives of patient care during a periviable preterm delivery are to support patient autonomy, while balancing risks and benefits, and provide evidence-based obstetric care. In most cases of periviability, delivery by a cesarean section is not consistent with these patient care goals, given its lack of maternal or fetal medical benefit, and is therefore considered medically inappropriate. However, by expanding the definition of benefit to include potential maternal psychological and spiritual goals, there are cases in which a cesarean may be ethically justified. In this chapter we explore this concept and suggest that in the context of realistic maternal goals and adequate informed consent, a cesarean section at 22 weeks gestation may be ethically justified through an expanded definition of maternal beneficence.
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Lynch, T.A., Burcher, P. (2017). The Periviable Cesarean Section: Can a Case Be Made for Expanding Beneficence in Decision-Making?. In: Campo-Engelstein, L., Burcher, P. (eds) Reproductive Ethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52630-0_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52630-0_8
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