Twin 'reduction': Is aborting one twin and not the other unethical?

A controversial procedure is adding a new twist to the already fractious debate in the abortion battle

A three dimensional ultrasound scan of a twin pregnancy at twelve weeks gestation
(Image credit: Mediscan/Corbis)

In The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Ruth Padawer reports on the rise of a procedure known as "twin reduction," or the selective abortion of one of two fetuses. Advances in reproductive medicine and fertility treatments have created a strange paradox, Padawer explains: "In creating life where none seemed possible, doctors often generate more fetuses than they intend." In the mid-1980s, fertility doctors began terminating all but two or three fetuses when a woman under their care conceived quadruplets or quintuplets (or more), as a way to lower the health risks for both mother and babies. But, in recent years, women who are pregnant with twins and only want one baby are seeking out the procedure, too. Is choosing to abort one healthy fetus but not the other unethical?

No, this a valid, personal choice: "How is this different from a first trimester abortion?" asks Ceridwen Morris at Babble. As with abortion, twin reduction is a difficult, personal choice that women should be able to make for themselves. No one else should have a say in the matter; it's a women's right to decide if, and how, to continue a pregnancy.

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