wrongful birth

wrongful birth

[rông′fəl]

Etymology: OE, wrang, twisted; ME, burth

a belief that a birth could have been avoided if the parents had been properly advised by a physician or health care provider that a pregnancy could occur or that a fetus would be deformed.

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wrongful

Forensic medicine An adjective with considerable medico-legal currency, used in several contexts. See Negligence.

Wrongful

Wrongful death An event that is usually regarded as negligent. See Negligence.

 Wrongful birth An event resulting from the failure of a contraceptive or sterilization procedure, eg fallopian tube liagation, failure to diagnose pregnancy, or an unsuccessful attempt to abort a conceptus.

Wrongful life An event in which legal action may be taken by–or on behalf of the baby suffering from a hereditary or congenital defect, eg Down syndrome or other disease, eg rubella, who would not have been born had the parents had the knowledge to opt for an abortion; WL represents either the failure to diagnose in utero a condition that would lead to a major life-long handicap or recognize such a condition in a sibling, allowing a 2º, similarly afflicted, child to be born; the child is the defendant named in a lawsuit initiated to defray the incurred and anticipated medical, nursing and related health expenses; in both WB and WL, the defendant may be liable for support and care of the infant from 'cradle to grave'