ABSTRACT
Is it morally permissible to administer a medication to fetuses in order to limit variations of sexual anatomy (e.g. virilization), urogenital function (e.g. urinary incontinence), and behavior (e.g. “tomboyism/lesbianism”), without convincing evidence of its innocuousness, and even if only a small proportion of treated fetuses will benefit from it? If this practice aimed at guaranteeing a normal appearance of genital organs, would banning it do injustice to the individuals, arguably a significant majority of our contemporary societies, who expect typical sexual and gender appearances to be concordant? Moral justification for administering drugs to fetuses or refusing to do so requires solid grounding; the debate surrounding the use of dexamethasone to prevent virilization and normalize atypical genitalia in cases of congenital adrenal hyperplasia is a striking illustration. The entire dispute, with its kaleidoscope of arguments, offers a relevant subject to analyze the status of the fetus as patient.
