Deciding for imperilled newborns: medical authority or parental autonomy?
Open Access
- 1 April 2001
- journal article
- Published by BMJ in Journal of Medical Ethics
- Vol. 27 (2), 104-109
- https://doi.org/10.1136/jme.27.2.104
Abstract
The ethical issues around decision making on behalf of infants have been illuminated by two empirical research studies carried out in Scotland. In-depth interviews with 176 medical and nursing staff and with 108 parents of babies for whom there was discussion of treatment withholding/withdrawal, generated a wealth of data on both the decision making process and the management of cases. Both staff and parents believe that parents should be involved in treatment limitation decisions on behalf of their babies. However, whilst many doctors and nurses consider the ultimate responsibility too great for families to carry, the majority of parents wish to be the final arbiters. We offer explanations for the differences in perception found in the two groups. The results of these empirical studies provide both aids to ethical reflection and guidance for clinicians dealing with these vulnerable families. They demonstrate the value of empirical data in the philosophical debate.Keywords
This publication has 5 references indexed in Scilit:
- Withholding/withdrawing treatment from neonates: legislation and official guidelines across Europe.Journal of Medical Ethics, 1999
- Empirical medical ethics.Journal of Medical Ethics, 1999
- Prolonging life and allowing death: infants.Journal of Medical Ethics, 1995
- Assessing empirical research in bioethicsTheoretical Medicine and Bioethics, 1993
- Contributions of empirical research to medical ethicsTheoretical Medicine and Bioethics, 1993