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Parental refusal of medical treatment for a newborn

John J Paris1, Michael D Schreiber, Michael P Moreland

  • 1Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02167, USA. parisj@bc.edu

Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics
|November 3, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Parental or physician decisions in infant care conflicts have evolved. Current guidelines support parental involvement and physician judgment, prioritizing the infant

Area of Science:

  • Medical Ethics
  • Pediatric Care
  • Neonatal Decision-Making

Background:

  • Conflicts arise between parents and physicians regarding appropriate medical care for infants.
  • Historical standards for decision-making in pediatric cases have varied significantly over time.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To trace the evolution of standards guiding medical decision-making in infant care conflicts.
  • To analyze the shift in policy from parental autonomy to mandated life support and back to nuanced guidelines.

Main Methods:

  • Historical review of key ethical essays and policy regulations concerning pediatric medical decision-making.
  • Analysis of the legal and ethical frameworks from 1973 to 2007.

Main Results:

  • Early proposals (1973) favored parental discretion in infant care decisions.
  • Mid-period regulations (Baby Doe Regs, 1980s) mandated life continuation.
  • Recent guidelines (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2007) support non-intervention or withdrawal of intensive care for high-risk newborns.

Conclusions:

  • The standard for infant care decisions has shifted from broad parental authority to stricter mandates and now towards a balance of parental and physician judgment.
  • Support is expressed for the 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, emphasizing individualized care for high-risk newborns.

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