Clinical implications of the ethics of informed consent for first-trimester risk assessment for trisomy 21

Frank A Chervenak; Laurence B McCullough; Stephen T Chasen

doi:10.1053/j.semperi.2005.05.012

Clinical implications of the ethics of informed consent for first-trimester risk assessment for trisomy 21

Semin Perinatol. 2005 Aug;29(4):277-9. doi: 10.1053/j.semperi.2005.05.012.

Authors

Frank A Chervenak¹, Laurence B McCullough, Stephen T Chasen

Affiliation

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA. fac2001@med.cornell.edu

PMID: 16104682
DOI: 10.1053/j.semperi.2005.05.012

Abstract

Objective: We identify the clinical implications of the ethics of informed consent for risk assessment for trisomy 21.

Finding: Based on the ethics of informed consent, we find that routinely offering first-trimester risk assessment in centers qualified to provide it is ethically obligatory, and routinely withholding the results of first-trimester risk assessment is ethically unjustified.

Conclusion: The ethics of informed consent is an essential dimension of first-trimester risk assessment for trisomy 21.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Down Syndrome / diagnosis*
Ethics, Medical*
Female
Fetal Diseases / diagnosis*
Humans
Informed Consent / ethics*
Informed Consent / psychology
Nuchal Translucency Measurement / ethics
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Trimester, First
Prenatal Diagnosis / ethics*