Multifetal Pregnancy Reduction

Number 553

(Replaces No. 369, June 2007)

ABSTRACT: Fertility treatments have contributed significantly to the increase in multifetal pregnancies. The first approach to the problem of multifetal pregnancies should be prevention, and strategi...

Professional Relationships With Industry

Number 541

(Replaces No. 401, March 2008)

ABSTRACT: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (the College) has a long history of leadership in ensuring that its educational mission is evidence based and unbiased. A predecessor...

Adoption

Number 528

(Replaces No. 368, June 2007)

ABSTRACT: Obstetrician–gynecologists may find themselves at the center of adoption issues because of their expertise in the assessment and management of infertility, pregnancy, and childbirth. The la...

Ethical Ways for Physicians to Market a Practice

Number 510

(Replaces No. 341, July 2006)

ABSTRACT: It is ethical for physicians to market their practices provided that the communication is truthful and not misleading, deceptive, or discriminatory. All paid advertising must be clearly ide...

Human Trafficking

Number 507

ABSTRACT: Human trafficking is a widespread problem with estimates ranging from 14,000 to 50,000 individuals trafficked into the United States annually. This hidden population involves the commercial...

Maternal-Fetal Intervention and Fetal Care Centers

Number 501

ABSTRACT: The past two decades have yielded profound advances in the fields of prenatal diagnosis and fetal intervention. Although fetal interventions are driven by a beneficence-based motivation to ...

Professional Responsibilities in Obstetric-Gynecologic Medical Education and Training

Number 500

(Replaces No. 358, January 2007)

ABSTRACT: The education of health care professionals is essential to maintaining standards of medical competence and access to care by patients. Inherent in the education of health care professionals...

Joint Statement of ACOG/AAP on Human Immunodeficiency Virus Screening

(Reaffirmed July 2011)

The problem of perinatal transmission of HIV infection was first appreciated in 1982. In 1991, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended a policy of routine counseling and offering testing (with sp...

Code of Professional Ethics of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

code of professional ethics of the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists obstetrician–gynecologists, as members of the medical profession, have ethical responsibilities not only to p...

Empathy in Womens Health Care

Number 480

ABSTRACT: Empathy is the process through which one attempts to project oneself into another's life and imagine a situation from his or her point of view. Most individuals do have an innate capacity t...

Ethical Considerations for Performing Gynecologic Surgery in Low-Resource Settings Abroad

Number 466

ABSTRACT: International humanitarian medical efforts provide essential services to patients who would not otherwise have access to specific health care services. The Committees on Ethics and Global W...

Forming a Just Health Care System

Number 456

ABSTRACT: In this Committee Opinion, the Committee on Ethics of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists endorses the College's ongoing efforts to promote a just health care system, ex...

Informed Consent

Number 439

(Reaffirmed 2012)

ABSTRACT: Obtaining informed consent for medical treatment, for participation in medical research, and for participation in teaching exercises involving students and residents is an ethical requireme...

At-Risk Drinking and Illicit Drug Use Ethical Issues in Obstetric and Gynecologic Practice

Number 422

(Replaces No. 294, May 2004)

ABSTRACT: Drug and alcohol abuse is a major health problem for American women regardless of their socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and age. It is costly to individuals and to society. Obstetric...

Ethical Issues in Genetic Testing

Number 410

ABSTRACT: Genetic testing is poised to play an increasing role in the practice of obstetrics and gynecology. To assure patients of the highest quality of care, physicians should become familiar with ...

Direct-to-Consumer Marketing of Genetic Testing

Number 409

ABSTRACT: Marketing of genetic testing, although similar to direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs, raises additional concerns and considerations. These include issues of limited knowle...

End-of-Life Decision Making

Number 403

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this Committee Opinion is to discuss issues related to end–of–life care, including terms and definitions, ethical principles, legal constructs, physician–patient communicatio...

Surrogate Motherhood

Number 397

ABSTRACT: Ethical responsibilities are described for obstetrician–gynecologists who choose to participate in surrogacy arrangements by 1) advising couples who are considering surrogacy, 2) counseling...

Surgery and Patient Choice

Number 395

ABSTRACT: Acknowledgment of the importance of patient autonomy and increased patient access to information has prompted more patient–generated requests for surgical interventions not necessarily reco...

Ethical Decision Making in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Number 390

(Reaffirmed 2010)

ABSTRACT: Physicians vary widely in their familiarity with ethical theories and methods and their sensitivity toward ethical issues. It is important for physicians to improve their skills in addressi...

Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Number 389

ABSTRACT: Because human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection often is detected through prenatal and sexually transmitted disease testing, an obstetrician–gynecologist may be the first health profes...

The Limits of Conscientious Refusal in Reproductive Medicine

Number 385

(Reaffirmed 2010)

ABSTRACT: Health care providers occasionally may find that providing indicated, even standard, care would present for them a personal moral problem—a conflict of conscience—particularly in the field ...

Research Involving Women

Number 377

ABSTRACT: All women should be presumed to be eligible for participation in clinical studies. The potential for pregnancy should not automatically exclude a woman from participating in a clinical stud...

Expert Testimony

Number 374

(Reaffirmed 2010)

ABSTRACT: It is the duty of obstetricians and gynecologists who testify as expert witnesses on behalf of defendants, the government, or plaintiffs to do so solely in accordance with their judgment on...

Sexual Misconduct

Number 373

ABSTRACT: The physician-patient relationship is damaged when there is either confusion regarding professional roles and behavior or clear lack of integrity that allows sexual exploitation and harm. S...