Counseling families who have a child with a severe congenital anomaly.

The birth of an infant with a major congenital malformation is experienced by the family as a calamity. Parents have an urgent need for compassionate and skilled attention, and a long-term need for counseling to help them adapt to the crisis. The difficult ethical and legal implications of such cases further complicate the doctor's ability to care for the patient and family. Potential conflicts of interest have recently led to the use of voluntary consultation by hospital committees, or obligatory involvement by the courts.