The ethical conundrums of antenatal corticosteroid therapy

Abstract

We all know the dictum, primum non nocere or “first do no harm”, often attributed to Hippocrates (460–370 BC) and to one of the earlier versions of his famous oath to desist from doing harm. Although the specific phrase may have been uttered and adopted much later in the 17th century, its importance in more contemporary medicine is commonly invoked when risking more harm than good. This fundamental bioethics principle of nonmaleficence should really guide our daily clinical practice in concert with the other three pillars: beneficence, autonomy, and justice.^1,2