ASCO Ethical Guidance for the US Oncology Community Where Reproductive Health Care Is Limited by Law.
Rebecca A SpenceLeslie J HinyardReshma JagsiRachel B JimenezAna Maria LopezMariana Chavez Mac GregorKayte Spector-BagdadyAbby R RosenbergPublished in: Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (2023)
The decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned federal protections for abortion rights, making way for states to enact abortion bans with or without exceptions for the health or life of the pregnant patient. Patient care across many areas of medicine including oncology continues to be affected. Although the change in the legal landscape is widely felt, the core ethical considerations for physicians do not change because of restrictions on the practice of medicine. ASCO offers this guidance to assist US oncologists and institutions who must balance limitations with established ethical duties. This paper articulates principles for cancer care and pregnancy, offers a framework for ethical reflection and action for oncologists who care for pregnant patients, and makes recommendations for individual and institutional action to support evidence-based, patient-centered care in the United States where abortion is illegal or access is limited.
Keyphrases
- healthcare
- palliative care
- decision making
- advanced cancer
- end stage renal disease
- primary care
- public health
- newly diagnosed
- quality improvement
- pregnancy outcomes
- ejection fraction
- health information
- prognostic factors
- chronic kidney disease
- case report
- polycystic ovary syndrome
- affordable care act
- skeletal muscle
- social media
- peritoneal dialysis
- preterm birth
- clinical practice
- insulin resistance
- pain management
- climate change