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Termination review committees: are they necessary?

Nicole L Woodrow
Med J Aust 2003; 179 (2): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05443.x
Published online: 21 July 2003

In Victoria, decisions regarding late termination of pregnancy no longer involve just pregnant women and their clinicians. At two major women's hospitals, committees now govern the decision-making process for approval of a late termination of pregnancy. The legal and ethical implications of clinical decision-making by committee need to be widely debated.


  • Fetal Diagnostic Unit, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, VIC.


Correspondence: 

Acknowledgements: 

The author wishes to thank the Royal Women's Hospital administration for documentation relating to the development of the Royal Women's Hospital Termination Review Committee, Dr Paul Shekleton and the Fetal Diagnostic Unit at Monash Medical Centre for outlining the operation of the Monash Termination Review Committee, and Dr Mark Umstad and Dr Miriam O'Connor for assistance in preparing the manuscript.

Competing interests:

None identified.

  • 1. Skene L, Nisselle P. Late termination of pregnancy: when is it "lawful"? Med Today 2000; (Sept): 103-106.
  • 2. Thornton JG, Lilford RJ. Clinical ethics committee. BMJ 1995; 311: 667-669.
  • 3. Rahman A, Katzive L, Henshaw SK. A global review of laws on induced abortion, 1985–1997. Int Fam Plan Perspect 1998; 24: 56-64.

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