When you can test, but not cure…
The rapid explosion of prenatal testing has left the ethical implications lagging far behind. In light of a poor prenatal diagnosis, an increasing number of parents are turning to medical teams who can help these couples make an empowered choice–parenting their child for as long as his or her condition permits.
Selective termination of the child in utero can produce more trauma for the parents who now must deal with the child’s diagnosis in addition to his or her termination, brought about by their own decision. A growing number of families are choosing the alternative, PERINATAL HOSPICE, an evidenced-based multi-disciplinary approach by medical teams to care for families through the bereavement process over their sick child, ultimately improving the family’s care and long-term health. Mothers and fathers want to take care of their sick children. Medical professionals, through the Perinatal Hospice model, can help them do just that.
RESOURCES
- Perinatal Hospice & Palliative Care: A Gift of Time
- List of American Programs (from http://perinatalhospice.org)
PUBLICATIONS
- Hoeldtke NJ, Calhoun, BC. “Perinatal Hospice.” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2001; 185: 525-529.
- Calhoun, Byron et al. “Perinatal Hospice: Comprehensive Care for the Family of a Fetus with a Lethal Condition.” Journal of Reproductive Medicine 2003; 48 (5): 343-8.
- Calhoun, Byron et al. “Perinatal Hospice: Family-centered Care for the Fetus with a Lethal Condition.” Journal of Physicians and Surgeons 2006; 11: 52-55.
- Catlin, A., & Carter, B. “Creation of a Neonatal End-of-life Palliative Care Protocol.” Journal of Perinatology 2002; 22(3), 184-95. Hochberg, T. (April/May/June 2003).
- Calhoun, Byron. Comprehensive Care Plan
- Parent’s Guide: Children’s Project on Palliative/Hospice Services