Rosenthal, on the other hand, questions the woman's capacity to make a good decision under the circumstances. Some neonatologists believe that when pregnant women are told about dangers of prematurity or have great expectations about giving birth, their judgment can be impaired, she said.
The situation raises the issue of whether a doctor ought to override a patient's wishes for the sake of saving lives, she said. Although the health care system in America gives patients autonomy in making decisions about their own bodies, when emotionally distraught, some people decide poorly, she said.
A mother deciding not to kill any of her children is "decid[ing] poorly"? A bioethicist is even considering whether a doctor should override the wishes of the patient if they think that their patient is making the wrong decision? What would she do, arrest people and perform forced abortions a la China?
This is disgusting. It should terrify any woman looking to get pregnant, or indeed, who is pregnant and believes that motherhood doesn't start in the delivery room. As alarmist and crazy as it sounds, there are bioethicists who question your right to not have an abortion.
It's only more frightening when you realize that this woman is a teacher.
*Bonus points to any sci-fi fan (or Briton, for that matter) who gets the post title reference.
2 comments:
Scery indeed- or screwy. This whoel issue of whether she should have had those babies has been bugging me. I think it was a bad personal decision, but it's a decision ONLY she should be able to make and one that I was shocked to hear being second guessed in the news. She chose to have a lot of babies. That's her choice, and hers alone.
I agree-mostly. Not knowing all the details, I would say that the doctor never should have implanted all those babies in the first place. It was terribly dangerous, both for the babies and the mother. But crazy as it was, you're right-- the media has no place jumping down her throat.
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