antenatal appointment
Karin attends antenatal appointment
View Karin’s story below.
Which of the following best represents your thoughts on how to proceed?
The MFM team includes obstetricians, midwives, genetic specialists, and genetic counsellors. Other services who could be involved in providing information and supporting decision-making include Mothersafe, General Practitioners, and the Haematology team.
Mothers and families should be advised to seek professional guidance when complex healthcare decision making is required.
Termination of Pregnancy in NSW
Termination of pregnancy is ethically contentious, but legally quite clear. The law imposes on a medical practitioner a duty to his/her patient to exercise reasonable care and skill in the provision of professional advice and treatment. Appropriate and adequate information must be provided to patients in order for the patient to make an informed choice about treatment.
While relevant to the patient’s decision-making, the existence or extent of pregnancy complications or potential chromosomal and genetic conditions are not mentioned in the legal framework. Each state jurisdiction in Australia has different laws regarding termination of pregnancy, and in NSW the law is governed by the Abortion Law Reform Act 2019 (NSW).
For more information on termination of pregnancy and other related issues, please click on the following link:
Now watch the following video where Dr Daniel Challis, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist from the Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney discusses how clinicians manage conflicting viewpoints around termination of pregnancy in complex clinical situations.
Dr Daniel Challis
“As a clinician, how do you manage conflicting viewpoints in complex situations surrounding termination of pregnancy?”