Cover -- Half-title -- Series-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface -- Table of cases -- Australia -- Canada -- European courts -- France -- Hong Kong -- Israel -- Netherlands -- New Zealand -- South Africa -- United Kingdom -- United States -- Table of statutes -- Australia -- New Zealand -- United Kingdom -- United States -- Human Rights Conventions -- 1 The nature of the troubled pregnancy -- Introduction -- Categorisation of the troubled pregnancy -- An overview of medical negligence -- The duty of care -- The standard of care -- The Bolam test -- The patient's decision -- Causation -- 2 Voluntary and involuntary termination of pregnancy -- Introduction -- Definitions -- The fetal persona -- Recognition of fetal status -- Maternal status -- The Abortion Act 1967 -- The Abortion Act, section 1(1)(a) in practice -- A need for reform? -- Age and termination of pregnancy -- Prevention and reversal of implantation -- Negligence and abortion -- A duty to the mother -- Involuntary termination of pregnancy -- Fetal death, fetal status and the criminal law -- The case of Vo v. France -- Conclusion -- Do we need an offence of feticide? -- 3 Antenatal care and the action for wrongful birth -- Introduction -- Late termination of pregnancy -- The uncertainties of subsection 1(d) -- Antenatal care and fetal abnormality -- Congenital disease -- Investigations available in the face of potential fetal abnormality -- Maternal testing -- The principles of antenatal care -- Antenatal counselling -- Information based negligence -- The development of the wrongful birth action -- Early experience in the United States -- Developments in the Commonwealth -- The development of 'wrongful birth' in the United Kingdom -- Recompense for wrongful birth in the United Kingdom -- Wrongful birth during and after McFarlane -- Conclusions.

4 Unsuccessful sterilisation -- Introduction -- Negligent sterilisation -- The duty of care -- Liability and wrongful pregnancy -- The transatlantic experience -- Historic wrongful pregnancy in the United Kingdom -- The case of Mr and Mrs McFarlane -- McFarlane in the House of Lords -- Wrongful pregnancy in Australia -- The case of Mrs Melchior -- Lessons from a legal 'test match' -- McFarlane under fire -- A connecting case -- 5 Uncovenanted pregnancy and disability -- Introduction -- Second-guessing the House of Lords -- The disabled neonate -- The pre-McFarlane position -- Mrs Parkinson's case -- The disabled mother -- Ms Rees's case -- Rees in the House of Lords -- McFarlane, Parkinson and Rees in perspective -- Deconstructing the decision in Rees -- The conscience of the Lords -- The proximity test -- 6 Wrongful neonatal life -- Introduction -- The wrongful life action in history -- Wrongful life in the United States -- The perspective in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth -- The case of Mary McKay -- The Congenital Disabilities (Civil Liability) Act 1976 -- Wrongful life in Australasia -- A Canadian anomaly -- Wrongful life in Europe -- Conclusion -- 7 The management of the disabled neonate -- Introduction -- The sanctity of life -- The quality of neonatal life -- Principles of management of severe congenital disease -- Medical futility -- The 'best interests' test -- The British cases -- The 1981 cases -- Development of the jurisprudence since Re B -- The recent cases -- Professional guidelines -- Neonatal euthanasia -- Addendum -- 8 Conclusion -- Patterns and anomalies -- Conflicts of values -- The fetal status - again -- Legal or moral principle? -- Bibliography -- Index.