Gevers S
University of Amsterdam, Institute of Social Medicine, The Netherlands.
Med Law. 1998;17(1):83-92.
Developments in medical technology have increased the possibility of diagnosing severe structural abnormalities in the fetus. In such circumstances, the woman may request termination of her pregnancy. This raises serious ethical and legal questions, in particular if the abnormalities are discovered after 24 weeks of gestation, when the fetus is considered viable. This article discusses the legal aspects of this problem, with particular reference to the Netherlands. If one accepts that, in exceptional circumstances, third trimester abortion may be justified on medical grounds, the law should make provision for it. However, the general protection provided by the law to fetal life-especially in the third trimester--should remain firmly in place.
医学技术的发展增加了诊断胎儿严重结构异常的可能性。在这种情况下，女性可能会要求终止妊娠。这引发了严重的伦理和法律问题，特别是如果在妊娠24周后发现异常，此时胎儿被认为具有存活能力。本文讨论了这个问题的法律方面，特别提及荷兰。如果人们接受在特殊情况下，基于医学理由在孕晚期堕胎可能是合理的，那么法律应该对此作出规定。然而，法律对胎儿生命的一般保护——尤其是在孕晚期——应该保持不变。
