REPRODUCTION ETHICS: MOTHER AND FETUS: ONE ENTITY OR TWO SEPARATE ENTITIES?

 

KOINONIA ACADEMIC JOURNAL

VOLUME 

July-September 2020

REPRODUCTION ETHICS

Paper 1

Mother and fetus: one entity 

or two separate entities?

Catherine N Whittle DD, S.R.N.

Abstract: There are two leading approaches to pregnancy in law: pregnant women are viewed either as single entity or two separate entities. This study sets out to ascertain the following from the anatomical and physiological viewpoints: 

 whether the unborn fetus is merely uterine content continuous with maternal tissues, or 

 whether the unborn fetus is an anatomically and physiologically separate individual with unique fetal tissues co-existing within the maternal host as temporary gestational dweller. 

The anatomical and physiological reality of whether mother and fetus are one entity or two separate entities can be posited to have impact upon medical, nursing and moral ethics.

Keywords: Ethics, Father, Fetus, Human Zygote, Intersex, Law, Medical, Moral, Mother, Nursing, One Entity, Pregnancy, Reproduction, Two Entities

To access this paper for download

click in the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iIfdeEY1PapRk1Jr8Sdi1tVEC4L8taGg/view?usp=sharing