Reproductive Freedom and the Prevention of Birth Defects: A New and Developing Standard of Medical Care

Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965).

Id. at 485.

Id. at 486.

Eisenstadt v. Baird, 405 U.S. 438 (1972).

Carey v. Population Services International, 431 U.S. 678 (1977).

Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973).

Id. at 153–55.

Id. at 164.

Id. at 164–65.

Planned Parenthood of Missouri v. Danforth, 428 U.S. 52, 70 (1976).

Id. at 75.

Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179 (1973).

Finley W.H. , Delivering Genetic Services, Pediatric Annals 7(6): 13–16, at 13 (June 1978).

Gerbie A.B. , Amniocentesis for Prenatal Detection of Genetic Defects, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 127(2): 158–61, at 158 (January 15, 1977).

The decision in Roe v. Wade states that a state is justified in prohibiting abortion once the fetus reaches viability.

Golbus M.S. , Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis in 3000 Amniocenteses, New England Journal of Medicine 300(4): 157–63 (January 25, 1979).

Gerbie, supra note 14, at 158.

Id. at 159–60. Also see, Milunsky A. , Genetic Disorders in the Fetus: Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment (New York, Plenum Press) (1979).

Becker v. Schwartz, 386 N.E.2d 807 (N.Y. 1978) (the companion case was Park v. Chessin).

Id. at 812.

Id.

Id. at 813. citing, Howard v. Lecher, 366 N.E.2d 64 (N.Y. 1977) (for policy reasons, physician who failed to test for Tay-Sachs disease is not liable for emotional suffering of parents of child born with the disease).

Becker v. Schwartz, supra note 19, at 812–14.

Berman v. Allan, 404 A.2d 8 (N.J., 1979).

Id. at 12–13.

Id. at 14.

Id. at 14–15.

Speck v. Finegold, 408 A.2d 496, 500 (Pa. Super, 1979).

Id.

Id. at 507.

Id. at 509.

See Robertson G. , Civil Liability Arising from “Wrongful Birth” Following An Unsuccessful Sterilization Operation, American Journal of Law & Medicine 4(2): 131–56 (1978).

Terrell v. Garcia, 496 S.W.2d 124 (Ct. Civ. App. Tex. 1973).

Id. at 128.

Troppi v. Scarf, 187 N.W.2d 511 (Mich. App. 1971).

Sherlock v. Stillwater Clinic, 260 N.W.2d 169 (Minn. 1977).

Karlsons v. Guerinot, 394 N.Y.S.2d 933, 938 (Sup. Ct., App. Div. 1977).

Stewart v. Long Island College Hospital, 313 N.Y.S.2d 502, 503–04, (Sup. Ct., App. Div. 1970).

Jacobs v. Theimer. 519 S.W.2d 846 (Tex. 1975).

Id. at 850.

Dumer v. St. Michael's Hospital, 233 N.W.2d 372, 377 (Wis. 1975).

Id.

Report of the Special Advisory Panel on Medical Malpractice, State of New York at 167 (1974).

See Shaw M.W. , Genetically Defective Children: Emerging Legal Considerations, American Journal of Law & Medicine 3(3): 333–40 (1977); and Milunsky , supra note 18.

Johnson v. Yeshiva University, 364 N.E.2d 1340, 1341 (N.Y. 1977).

Valenti C. Schutta E.J. , and Kehaty T. , Prenatal Diagnosis of Down's Syndrome, Lancet 2:220 (July 27, 1968).

NICHHD Study Group, Midtrimester Amniocentesis for Prenatal Diagnosis: Safety and Accuracy, Journal of the American Medical Association 236(13): 1471–76 (Sept. 27, 1976).

Id. at 1475 (emphasis added).

Id. at 1476.

Id. at 1474.

U.S. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare, Public Health Service, Health Resources Administration, Health, United States, 1976–77, at 148, Table 11.