Ethics, maternal-fetal interventions, and the technological imperative

In medicine, the technological imperative presupposes the inevitable and essential adoption of technologies for the benefit of patients and society. Recent advances in maternal-fetal interventions have followed technological advances in prenatal diagnostic imaging and genetic testing, anesthesiology, and fetal surgical capabilities. Applied here, the technological imperative raises important ethical questions regarding maternal autonomy, informed consent, and decision-making. The ethical or moral arguments for employing such technology rest with the clinician(s) who offer, use, and state that it is the correct thing to do, and who must also be cognizant of the limits of technology and the assumptions represented by other imperatives. There is a need for the education of ethicists and clinicians about the implications and limitations of the technological imperative in this field. Fetal health centers should collaborate with bioethicists at the patient, committee, and program development levels as the field continues to advance.