Court Case on Pre-Elclampsia - Research Paper Example

Any Court Case on Pre-Elclampsia Introduction Formerly known as toxemia, pre-eclampasia is a circumstance that expectant mothers develop. The most characteristic attribute of the condition is high blood pressure and elevated level of proteins in urine. These women often experience swelling in the legs, feet and hands and this state occurs in the second half of expectancy and also in some instances during the latter section of the second and third trimesters (Kerry, 2010). If accurate diagnosis does not come about, pre-eclampasia culminates into eclampsia which is a severe condition that places a baby at risk.

In addition, in some cases it leads to death. It is common to refer to pre-eclampasia women with seizures as those already suffering from eclampsia. It is important to note that there is no acknowledged leading cause of pre-eclampasia and there are very few treatments available to counter the effects of the condition (McLean, 2013). Statistical reports document that one out of every ten pregnant women develop pre-eclampasia and one out of every a hundred women build up the serious levels of eclampasia.

The only cure is delivery of the baby by a professional doctor. In this context comes the question of whether it is ethically right to terminate the pregnancy for the protection of the woman or it is a crime against humanity chargeable in a court of law. Example of a Court Case A good example of a court case on pre- elclampsia is a woman is taken to court as she stands trial for wanting to conduct a termination of her pregnancy as it threatens to end her life. She is four months pregnant and the tests conducted by her doctors indicate that she is most likely to suffer from a muddled mental state in addition to swollen ankles(British Medical Association, 2012). . She gets valuable advice from her doctor that the only way to save her from these contingencies is only through an induced abortion as the fetus is not fully developed to the point where it can stay in an incubator.

She goes to court to seek assistance so that she may procure the abortion(Kerry, 2010). The evidence she produces holds water and the judges are adamant to allow her to do as she wishes. The jury rules in her favor and she gets the permit with the assistance of her doctor to make the abortion (British Medical Association, 2012). Pre-eclampasia is pretty grim and looking at the symptoms and the expected end result, it makes one skeptic of the decisions they need to make either in favor or in disregard for the challenges that come with the condition.

I think that it is something that affects many women across the globe and some are not even aware of the dangers that beckon them as they continue leading their lives. I believe that education is key to eliminating this devastation that is about to completely change the lives of women. I also feel that there should exist channels that women talk and interact with so as to give their opinions and experiences with pre-eclampasia so that they enlighten each other on the probable ways to overcome if not entirely eliminate the state of affairs.

References Kerry J. B., Stephen M. C., Colin T. and Vernon D. P. (2010). Good Medical Practice: Professionalism, Ethics and Law: Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 424 pages. British Medical Association (2012). Medical Ethics Today: The BMAs Handbook of Ethics and Law, 3rd Ed: John Wiley & Sons. McLean, Sheila A. M. (2013). First Do No Harm: Law Ethics and Healthcare. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.