Medical conference discusses ethics of abortion travel
Finnish woman travelled abroad for abortion in 35th week of pregnancy
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What should a doctor do if a mother whose fetus is damaged wants to have an abortion just a few weeks before the scheduled birth? Should a doctor report such a woman to Finnish officials to prevent such travel? Would it be more ethical to allow a seriously disabled newborn to die by withholding care than to abort the fetus?
One of the most difficult issues brought before the Finnish doctors’ Ethical Forum last year involved a situation in which a woman who was 35 weeks pregnant wanted to have an abortion.
The woman already had one seriously developmentally disabled child, and only in the late part of the pregnancy did she learn that the fetus that she was carrying had the same disorder.
Finnish law prohibits termination of pregnancy after the 24th week, and the woman decided to travel to another country for the procedure. European Union countries where there are practically no time limits for abortions include Belgium, France, and The Netherlands.
The woman did not get an abortion in the first country that she went to. She was advised to travel to another country, where the fetus was killed with a lethal injection of potassium chloride.
The issue was a matter of intense discussion on Wednesday at the annual national doctors’ convention in Helsinki. Participants in the discussion pondered whether or not the woman should have been prevented from travelling, and whether or not she should have been reported to the authorities.
The participants were also undecided on whether or not the woman committed an act punishable under Finnish law.
Ursula Vala, head physician at the Centre for Medicolegal Affairs (TEO), said that a doctor who reported such a patient to the authorities would probably be in violation of doctor-patient confidentiality.
Finnish law allows abortions up to the 12th week of pregnancy if two doctors give their approval.
If the fetus is diagnosed with a difficult illness or disability, abortions are possible with the permission of TEO until the 24th week. After that, abortions are possible only if there is a serious threat to the mother’s health.
In 2003 about 10,700 abortions were performed in Finland, 800 of which were after the 12th week.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 13.1.2005 - TODAY |
 Medical conference discusses ethics of abortion travel |
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