Late termination of pregnancy: when is it ‘lawful’?

In early July, three senior medical staff were suspended by the Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne after an allegation that they had terminated a pregnancy at 32 weeks. The mother was apparently suicidal after discovering that the fetus was likely to be a dwarf. The doctors were later reinstated and the hospital later prepared interim guidelines for termination of pregnancy. At time of writing, the State Coroner and the Medical Practitioners’ Board are investigating the matter. But the case raises important issues about the legality of late terminations, especially where the condition of the fetus is not of the most serious kind.