Brain death in pregnancy: what will be left of the life of foetus?
Brain death in pregnancy (BDinP) has been described in literature as a “rare event” and “hopeless condition for
patients”, who has a devastating potential to negatively affect the poetry of the moment of welcoming a new human
life to the world. Clinical consequences of BDinP are extremely dangerous for the life of a foetus that, without prompt
medical actions, is doomed to suffer the same fate as the mother. Modern medical techniques make it possible to
maintain basic vital functions of the pregnant woman for months, in order to achieve a level of development of the
foetus. Although maternal somatic support requires the consideration of specific medical parameters, from a bioethical standpoint, this option gives rise to multiple ethical and social implications. In this manuscript, we identify
the main ethical and social implications about maternal somatic support, including the potential impact on the
clinical practice of medical staff, and discuss some Italian high-impact media cases.