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
Wrongful death, wrongful birth, or wrongful life cases can likely be brought within the broad scope of civil rights for this purpose to make sure plaintiffs don’t pay tax on their legal fees.
—
Robert W. Wood, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
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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Robert W. Wood, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Wrongful birth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrongful%20birth. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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