Ethical consideration of maternal participation in clinical research

This review explores some of the implications for a balanced approach to th e ethics of maternal participation in clinical research, from the perspecti ve of the fetus as a patient, which is a central concept in obstetric ethic s. The review therefore begins with an account of this topic, followed by a n examination of some of its ethical implications for a balanced approach t o the ethics of clinical research that involves pregnant women. Curr Opin O bstet Gynecol 11:549-551, (C) 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.