The Cornell University experience

The authors provide an account of their 20-year-old history of collaborative research and publication at Cornell University on ethics in fetal diagnosis and therapy. This research first developed and applied a conceptual framework for ethics in maternal-fetal medicine based on the concept of the fetus as a patient. The basic elements of this framework are described, as well as their application to fetal diagnosis and fetal therapy. Related topics, including obstetrics and gynecology, clinical medicine, managed care, and the ethical dimensions of medical leadership, are also briefly described. Copyright (C) 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel.