Prenatal Palliative Care

Abstract

Twenty-first century society believes in the almost infinite power of medicine, therefore in the mentality of modern man there is often no acceptance of serious illness or death. Medicine today is constantly coming up with new methods to prolong the life of the patient, applying agressive therapy in situations where there is no hope of recovery. In recent years, a new set of moral dilemmas has emerged in the case of children diagnosed with lethal abnormalities in the prenatal stage, which most often lead to the premature death of a child. This article will discuss palliative care (including home care), based on an integrative vision of  a human being, holistically treating all physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Presented in this paper is the concept behind perinatal (Gr. peri – around, Latin nascor- to give birth) hospices created to provide support to parents who decide to give birth, despite an unfavorable diagnosis. Palliative care includes the provision of complete care for terminally ill children, with the purpose of treating them with full dignity and protection from aggressive and ineffective therapy. Creating support for the family and child in the case of a troubling prenatal diagnosis involves full empowerment of both mother and child, the latter recognized as a patient in the prenatal phase with both the right to life and the right to a dignified death. The article also discusses the position of the Catholic Church on prenatal testing and the position of the Polish Pediatric Association on aggressive therapy. Every human being, including a child in the prenatal stage and a newborn, deserves humane treatment throughout their entire life up until the very end. Perinatal hospices aim to help the patient die with dignity and raise awareness in society about the respect that should be bestowed during the final moments in life.