American journal of obstetrics and gynecology
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Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Jul 1992
ReviewEthically justified guidelines for family planning interventions to prevent pregnancy in female patients with chronic mental illness.
This article proposes ethically justified clinical guidelines for family planning interventions to prevent pregnancy in female patients. ⋯ Three sets of guidelines for three groups of patients, representing the continuum of chronically and variably impaired autonomy, are proposed: (1) a set of guidelines for patients who can achieve thresholds of autonomy, (2) a set of guidelines for patients irreversibly near thresholds of autonomy, and (3) a set of guidelines for patients irreversibly below thresholds of autonomy. These guidelines should contribute significantly to the quality of obstetric and gynecologic care for female patients with chronic mental illness.