Abstract
All pregnant women in Sweden are offered a routine ultrasound examination. Occasionally, these examinations lead to the discovery of fetal malformations. It is therefore important that parents are aware of these possibilities, and of the ethical dilemmas and choices they may have to face. We interviwed thirty-five first time oarents in connection to their first routin ultrasound. The results show that the majority believe that the routin ultrasound is a mandatory requirement, and there is very little informed consent as prescribed in the regulations by the medical authorities. Most parents have a vague understanding of the medical rationale and potential consequences of the routin ultrasound examination.
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