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wrongful birth
noun
: a malpractice claim brought by the parents of a child born with a birth defect against a physician or health care provider whose alleged negligence (as in diagnosis) effectively deprived the parents of the opportunity to make an informed decision whether to avoid or terminate the pregnancy
also
: the birth or injury at issue in such a claim
Examples of wrongful birth in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This would essentially allow a wrongful birth claim to go forward.
—Sonia Suter, Quartz, 22 Jan. 2022
It’s not wrongful birth, but the loss of reproductive freedom.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2020
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Word History
First Known Use
1979, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near wrongful birth
Cite this Entry
“Wrongful birth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrongful%20birth. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Legal Definition
wrongful birth
noun
: a malpractice claim brought by the parents of a child born with a birth defect against a physician or health-care provider whose alleged negligence (as in prenatal testing or diagnosis) effectively deprived the parents of the opportunity to make an informed decision whether to avoid or terminate the pregnancy
also
: the birth or injury at issue in such a claim
recognize a cause of action for wrongful birth
Note: Two factors behind the general recognition of the wrongful birth claim are scientific advances in prenatal diagnosis of birth defects and the legalization of abortion. Wrongful birth and wrongful life are distinct from malpractice claims alleging actual physical injury to a fetus caused by a negligently performed procedure.
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