“Miracle or Moral Dilemma? The Pregnant Woman on Life Support Destined to Save Her Baby”
A notable example is the case of Catarina Sequeira, a Portuguese woman who was maintained on life support until her baby could be delivered at 31 weeks.
Her case was thoroughly examined by a 2020 University of Cambridge study which delved into the complex legal and ethical implications of keeping a mother alive to save an unborn child’s life.
Image credits: estreitonline
For Alex Warren, one of the paper’s authors, one that one of the most contentious aspects of delicate situations like this is hospitals acting against the express wishes of the mother’s family.
Image credits: matheus__.borges
“In a number of highly publicised cases, continuation of maternal physiological support after brain death has been attempted against the express wishes of the patient’s family,” he wrote.
The study also put forward a concerning figure, citing a German study of 30 cases of brain-dead mothers, of which only 63% were able to successfully deliver their babies.
Brazil’s legal system forbids abortions beyond the third month, which means doctors must do all they can to keep Joyce’s baby alive
Image credits: viralagora
Aside from the complex ethical considerations of surrounding the subject matter, legal concerns also need to be taken into account.
Brazil is a signatory of the American Human Rights Convention, which grants the right to life to human embryos, including intrauterine ones. In 2016, the Supreme Court in Brazil ruled that abortion was not considered a crime in the first three months of pregnancy.
Post Comment