Professional paper
SMOKING AND ALCOHOL IN PREGNANCY. MATERNAL-FETAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Aleksandra Frković
Sanja Katalinić
Abstract
Bioethical valid decision is based on free patient’s deciding throughout health care. During pregnancy mother is deciding for herself and her fetus. When mother’s wishes or her wellbeing are opposed to wellbeing of fetus it may result in conflict of mother and fetus interest. Sometime pregnant women do not accept basic medical advises, and do not want to give up her bad habits, like smoking of cigarettes and alcohol abuse what definitive ruin her health, but also fetal health. The criterion to be the fetus’s as a subject best interest it is possible to estimate only if mother is not against it. To stop with bad habit it is necessary to have a pregnant woman’s good will. We think that in this situation along with medical staff continual education to estimate a sort of »ethical force« is necessary. To punish pregnant women is not a good solution for fetus. Most of the women are motivated to have a healthy newborn child. Prenatal care has to be as good as possible to achieve this goal.
Keywords
smoking cigarettes; alcohol abuse; maternal-fetal conflict; bioethics
Hrčak ID:
23860
URI
Publication date:
1.9.2006.
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