More than medication: perinatal palliative care

Abstract

In this edition, Garbi et al. present a case for what they refer to as ‘Delivery Room Hospice’ by reporting an illustrative periviable 23-week-gestation infant whose mother reports angst in watching her struggle to breathe. The authors suggest a tension between the infant’s ‘rights’ and the authors’ perceived limits of parental authority. They ask whether ethical constructs of personhood can be ascribed to the newborn, and legal protection be conferred, that might supersede maternal decisional authority. They propose delivery room hospice as a solution.