Recognising our 'invisible infants': there is no internationally agreed definition of live birth-is this ethically...

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Global Health
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Inconsistent adherence to the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of live birth globally.
• Significant variation exists in the criteria used to acknowledge and register infants as alive.
• Lack of standardized definition leads to ethical inconsistencies and impacts child rights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the differing definitions of live birth currently in use worldwide.
• To analyze the ethical and practical implications of these variations for infants and families.
• To examine the consequences for global child health resources and funding.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of international live birth definitions.
• Ethical framework application to assess implications.
• Review of global child health policy and resource allocation.

Main Results:

• Identified significant discrepancies in live birth registration criteria across different regions.
• Highlighted ethical challenges related to infant rights and recognition.
• Demonstrated potential impact on global child health data and resource distribution.

Conclusions:

• The geographical determination of an infant's status as 'alive' is ethically untenable.
• Standardization of the live birth definition is essential for upholding child rights.
• Harmonized definitions are critical for equitable global child health initiatives and funding.