[Evaluation of the risk of abortion abuse resulting from the two-week legal delay in France].
OBJECTIVE
The legal delay for abortion in France has recently been prolonged from 10 (12 weeks of amenorrhea) to 12 weeks (14 weeks of amenorrhea). With the progress in sonography, certain foetuses may exhibit malformations during the first trimester. Diagnosis of foetal gender at 12 weeks of amenorrhea is sometimes possible. We studied the possibility that the prolonged legal delay before abortion might incite women to abort, simply on sonographic criteria.


METHODS
Our enquiry was conducted in March 2001 in the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Jean Verdier hospital in Bondy. Two questionnaires were drawn-up by the Medical Ethics Laboratory of the Necker Hospital in Paris and were distributed to 128 women and 24 nurses.


RESULTS
Recourse to abortion was high if laparoschisis or the absence of a hand was revealed, low in the case of opacity of the neck, and almost inexistent in the case of unwanted gender, in a female population with less than one child.


CONCLUSIONS
A national consensus on foetal abnormalities to be searched for, and not to be searched for (Number of fingers? Upper lip?...) and the eventual detection of the gender during sonography of the 1st trimester is urgent in view of the technological progress made. Clear and reassuring information is essential when confronted with foetal abnormalities and must lead to complete and precise antenatal diagnosis (caryotyping, sonographic control 2 or 3 weeks later).
Estève
R
R
Laboratoire d'Ethique Médicale, Faculté de Médecine Necker-Paris V, 156, rue de Vaugtrard, F75730 Paris.
Alouini
S
S
Moutel
G
G
Uzan
M
M
Hervé
C
C
D000029:Abortion, Legal / Q000592:standards*; D000328:Adult; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011640:Public Policy; D012307:Risk Factors; D012743:Sex Preselection