Can a parent refuse medical treatment for their child?
But the autonomy of parents is very obviously different from the autonomy of patients to make decisions for themselves. While adult patients are generally thought to have an absolute right to refuse medical treatment for themselves, we don’t usually think that parents can refuse all medical treatment for their children.
Can parents refuse antibiotics for children?
One reason to take parents’ views into account is because of their knowledge of the child. If parents refuse antibiotics because they know that their child has previously had a serious allergic reaction to those same antibiotics – it would be vital to pay attention to their concerns.
Are parents’ views and wishes relevant to medical treatment for children?
There are a number of reasons that parents’ views and wishes are ethically relevant to decisions about medical treatment for children. If we take those reasons into account, that suggests that whether or not treatment is provided for a child with a given health condition will vary from family to family.
Can parents refuse medical treatment for their jaundiced newborn baby?
As an example, in February 2017, a couple in Michigan refused medical treatment for their jaundiced newborn baby, Abigail. A midwife had visited and told the parents that the baby needed urgent treatment.
Can parents refuse treatment for their child for religious reasons?
Religious Beliefs are Not a Defense for Denying Treatment to a Child. Adults have the right to refuse their own medical care for religious or personal reasons. However, this legal right to refuse medical care does not extend to their children if it endangers the child's welfare.
What if parents refuse a treatment recommended by the physician?
The court explained that in a situation where the medical treatment proposed for a child is not life-saving or life-sustaining, a court order is needed to override a parent's refusal to consent to the treatment.
Can doctors override parents?
According to McDougall and Notini, physicians have no authority to override a parent; they can only ask the state to do so.
What is the religion that refuses medical treatment?
Jehovah's Witnesses and Christian Scientists are the two most common religious doctrines that may dictate treatment refusal, limitation, or preference for prayer.
Can I refuse medication for my child?
They're the fifth set of parents from the church to face criminal charges over the past nine years for failing to seek medical care for their children, according to The Washington Post. In the United States, adults can refuse any medical care, as long as they're competent to make their own decisions.
Can parents refuse treatment?
Legal rights of parents when refusing medical treatment for children. When a doctor has advised that a child needs to undergo a medical procedure/treatment, those who have parental responsibility for the child ordinarily have the right to decide whether or not to go ahead.
Do parents have the right to make medical decisions for their children?
Parents have the legal responsibility to make medical decisions in the best interests of their minor children who lack decision-making capacity, but they also have the ethical duty to develop that capacity.
Why should parents make medical decisions for their child?
Introduction: Parents/legal guardians are medical decision-makers for their minor children. Lack of parental capacity to appreciate the implications of the diagnosis and consequences of refusing recommended treatment may impede pediatric patients from receiving adequate medical care.
When can the government override a parent's medical decision in the US?
If the child's parents are not acting in the best interest of their welfare, the state can override parental decisions. At the end of the day, the child's life is the primary concern. A parent can face loss of custody or criminal charges for failing to provide the necessary medical care for their child.
Can parents withhold medical treatment?
Parents have the responsibility and authority to make medical decisions on behalf of their children. This includes the right to refuse or discontinue treatments, even those that may be life-sustaining. However, parental decision-making should be guided by the best interests of the child.
What does the Bible say about medical care?
We should always seek help from God as well as going for appropriate medical treatment - not instead of doing so. In Matthew 9, the Pharisees asked Jesus why he spent time with sinners. He replied, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick' (Matthew 9:12). Jesus recognised that sick people need doctors.
Can a Jehovah Witness refuse blood for their child?
In the case of Jehovah's Witness parents' refusal of blood transfusion for their child, health professionals “must take the consideration as valid that nobody can be deprived of life by their own parents” and can therefore ask immediately for the ordinance of judicial authority to authorize the transfusion [5].