Foetus parties condemned

Monday January 16th, 2012

An expert has criticised the growing fashion for "foetus parties".

Professor Cathy Warwick says this is part of the growing commercialisation of pregnancy.

She said "foetus parties" pose problems - particularly as women are increasingly getting older when they become pregnant.

A foetus party is thrown to celebrate the taking of an ultrasound scan of a baby.

But Professor Warwick, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, warned that an ultrasound does not mean a pregnancy is safe. And that throwing a party so early, might make things harder for the woman if problems arise with the pregnancy.

She said: "Across the country services for foetus parties are popping up.

"This is a far cry from the original purpose of ultrasound. It was originally introduced as a screening tool to help early detection of babies with serious problems, allowing future planning of the pregnancy on the back of this.

"However, the trend towards using ultrasound and technology via foetus parties as a 'consumer tool' raises various ethical questions.

"If a woman is celebrating much more overtly than she might normally do regarding a pregnancy at an early stage during the pregnancy and, then, at a later stage a serious problem emerges; a mother may need increased counselling after raising everyone's expectations of her pregnancy at a foetus party, only to learn of complications later on."

Tags: Childbirth and Pregnancy | Nursing & Midwifery | UK News | Women’s Health & Gynaecology

Printer friendly page