Using the COVID‐19 as an excuse for unjustified devaluation of preterm infants

Abstract

Using the COVID-19 as an excuse for unjustified devaluation of preterm infantsThe COVID-19 pandemic has strained the limits of medical decision-making bringing to the forefront questions of justice, scarcity and respect for life. Hospitals, institutions and regions have approached dilemmas differently, attempting as best they can to match needs of diverse patient populations in the midst of a pandemic. In their article, Extremely Premature Infants, Scarcity and the COVID-19 Pandemic, Kaempf et al 1 suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in 'obstetricians, neonatologists, and/or

Issue highlights

“…Kaempf et al claim it could be misleading if obstetricians, neonatologists and ethicists blur legitimate issues of suboptimal health outcomes in extremely premature infants, resource consumption and authentic shared decision‐making with care rationing during the pandemic 6 . Haward et al disagree and express concerns that the COVID‐19 pandemic is being used as an excuse for the unjustifiable devaluation of the lives of preterm infants 7 …”