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Selective termination, fetal reduction and analogical reasoning.

¹Bioethics Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium. Guido.Pennings@UGent.be

Reproductive Biomedicine Online

|April 23, 2013

Summary

Bioethics uses analogies like the lifeboat scenario for selective termination. However, the procreative beneficence principle, not analogies, justifies selective termination by preventing harm and improving fetal life chances.

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Area of Science:

Bioethics
Medical Ethics
Moral Philosophy

Background:

Analogical reasoning is a common tool in bioethics.
Analogies transfer rules from known to new situations.
Selective termination and fetal reduction present complex ethical dilemmas.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the applicability of the lifeboat analogy to selective termination.
To explore the ethical justification of selective termination.
To analyze the role of fetal interests in bioethical decision-making.

Main Methods:

Applying the lifeboat analogy to selective termination scenarios.
Analyzing the procreative beneficence principle.
Examining the concept of interests attributed to fetuses.

Main Results:

The lifeboat analogy is only partially effective for selective termination.
The procreative beneficence principle, particularly its wide person-affecting form, justifies selective termination.
Selective termination is justified by preventing harm to a potential child and enhancing the prospects of other fetuses.

Conclusions:

Analogies in bioethics are inherently limited.
The primary ethical justification for selective termination stems from the procreative beneficence principle.
Fetal interests are contingent on their status as potential future persons.