Baby B and Baby Doe —Their Lasting Effect on Parents’ Scope for Medical Decision-Making for Their Children

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThere have been several widely publicized legal cases about the limits of parental decision-making for their children. We examine the two very similar cases dating back to the 1980s that still provide legal precedents and constrain parental decision-making for newborns: Baby Doe in the USA, and Baby B in England.Recent FindingsThe US and English legal systems significantly constrain parental decision-making, even to the extent of preventing decisions that some clinicians may feel to be in the child ’s best interests. This is true for decisions to either limit care or continue care.SummaryLegal limitations on parental decision-making are greater for medical decisions than for many other important decisions that parents make for their children.
Source: Current Pediatrics Reports - Category: Pediatrics Source Type: research