Treating the fetus as a patient: possible implications for its moral status

This chapter critically discusses Laurence McCullough’s and Frank Chervenak’s concept of the fetal patient and its suitability to replace the notion of the unborn child. For this purpose, the chapter initially considers the consistency and adequacy of this approach as a whole on a theoretical level. Furthermore, it aims to outline the possible implications for the fetus’ moral status and underlying concepts of personhood.