The bigger question to me is why would a parent refuse to provide treatment to a child? Children: A parent or guardian cannot refuse life-sustaining treatment or deny medical care from a child. Why Parents Refuse Treatment In my experience, the most frequent reason for parental refusal of treatment stems from a lack of understanding. And if they do not, then this mother should be charged with manslaughter!! When consent can be overruled. I do not think that a parent has the right to refuse a child medical treatment especially if the cure is there and the child has a chance to live a happy healthy life after treatment. Although respect for parents’ decision-making authority is an important principle, pediatricians should report suspected cases of medical neglect, and the state should, at times, intervene to require medical treatment of children. of medical treatment.7 The parents, honoring their child’s refusal of medical treatment, were subsequently convicted of manslaughter for failing to seek necessary treatment for their child’s life-threatening illness. If the doctors believe the parents are not acting in the child’s best interest, they can go to court and try to convince a judge that the court should take temporary custody of the child and appoint a guardian who will allow the treatment. Religion or not, at some point we must use a little common sense. 17 For further guidance on these issues see GMC guidance on decision making and consent and treatment and care towards the end of life. In most circumstances, this extends to a parent’s right to refuse treatment for their minor child (2). Parents do have rights when it comes to the medical treatment of children. 16, 17 Their wishes are seen to be evidence of the child's best interests. Another approach, one that seeks to optimize the therapeutic alliance with this family seems much more likely to realize the desired outcome: promoting the child’s short- and long-term well being. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the short answer is that the refusal of a competent minor, and if needs be that of their parents, can be overridden by a court if it is in their best interests so to do. if it could save their lives? 12, 43. They stood by and watched their children die. Well established in British law, is the fundamental principle that every person’s body is inviolate. In the case of children, it is assumed in law that all children under the age of ten years will not have sufficient competence to refuse or consent to medical treatment. The court, in upholding the parents’ conviction, stated that Pennsylvania does not recognize the mature minor doc- United Kingdom. When the rationale for refusal is religion, and especially when the treatment being refused is potentially lifesaving, the situation becomes more complex. She was born with a small hole in her heart that, if she had gotten surgery to close it, would have prevented the further disabilities she endured throughout her lifetime. Not much. Why parents refuse immunization? Cases in this murky area will be presented during an interactive group forum titled “Minors and Medical Decision-Making: Can a Child Refuse Treatment?” The session will be held from 8:30-10:00 am Saturday, Sept. 16 (I1050) and again from 8:30-10:00 am Sunday, Sept. 17 (I2052). Miller G. The legal and ethical right of parents to refuse medical treatment for their children differs from the authority possessed by competent adults with decisional capacity. ! 16 In view of this fact, the parents or guardians are usually given the power to consent or refuse medical treatment for their children. Parents should also know we physicians are not blaming them for their child’s illness, but they are responsible for getting their child appropriate treatment. I'm taking about parents refusing their kids chemo. 'At risk' Bertie Leigh, senior partner for the medical law firm Hempsons, told BBC News Online: "Parents are only entitled to refuse treatment when it's in the best interests of the child. Mariah Walton is the child of parents who were fundamentalist Mormons that refused to get her medical treatment as a baby. ... celebrities and lay-people with anecdotal evidence and even scientific sources such as some universities and some medical doctors push their views on anti-vaccination, which proves to make the decision to vaccinate more difficult on parents. One after another, Dr. Paul Offit described the parents who prayed instead of getting their children the medical are they needed. In an emergency, where treatment is vital and waiting for parental consent would place the child at risk, treatment can proceed without consent. Parents cannot invoke their right to religious freedom to refuse treatment for a child. They have a right to consult multiple physicians, they have the right to consul physicians about the various options available for their children and they do have the right to seek out alternative therapies that may assist in bringing their child back to health. Always put your children's needs at the top of your list. The limits of parental authority to accept or refuse medical treatment. A British law requires parents to seek medical help for their children, if the child's condition does not improve after 72 hours of non-medical treatment. 17. If a young person refuses treatment, which may lead to their death or a severe permanent injury, their decision can be overruled by the Court of Protection. Parents have a duty to act in the best interests of their children from the children's perspective and not to inflict harm. I hope they find this child before it is too late. Parents do not have an absolute right to refuse medical treatment for their children based on their religious beliefs. A parent's job is to raise happy and healthy children. Parents also bear the primary burden of the medical decisions made for their children, caring for them in the long term. Reasons why parents do not consent to medical treatments and interventions are many ... Amendment right to abuse or neglect their children, and therefore, there is possible criminal liability when parents refuse medical treatment for their child based on religious or cultural grounds. But no parent has the right to essentially "force" their child to die when a cure is so obvious and available. This essay is to state how the law adequately protect children who wish to consent or refuse medical treatment? All states have laws prohibiting child abuse and neglect. Some parents’ reasons for refusing medical treatment are based on their religious or spiritual beliefs. Wiad Lek . That type of legislation may be more effective. You can provide medical treatment to a child or young person with their consent if they are competent, ... or if both a young person with capacity and their parents refuse such treatment. It makes no sense to me. A fundamental right of modern healthcare is that a patient can refuse medical treatment (1). When parents wish to withhold or discontinue standard proven treatment in a child with cancer that has a likelihood of long-term cure, referral to the local child protection agency is indicated because a parent's inability to provide adequate care for a child is a criminal offense. Parents can claim that they did not realize that their child's condition was very serious; they can claim lack of medical knowledge. But the parental right to make medical decisions is not unlimited. While the Hauser case is an example of the court going against parents' … PARENTAL RIGHT TO REFUSE MEDICAL TREATMENT Nothing could be more harmful to a child than the government ripping that child from his/her parents simply because the government thinks it knows better, labeling a parent as unfit because the parent has the audacity to have a different opinion regarding what is in the child's best interest. I have been involved in cases like that from time to time. Religious beliefs or not I'm doing whatever it takes to save my daughter However, the law is less clear on the aptitude of a mature, competent child to refuse medical treatment. And I will therefore evaluate the capacity . We felt the same way." "They obviously weren't heard by their medical team. But in 34 states (as well as the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico), there are exemptions in the civil child abuse statutes when medical treatment for a child conflicts with the religious beliefs of parents, according to data collected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Refuse to help: Parents do have the right to refuse their child mental health treatment up to a point. So, what can parents living in a state that requires a minor to consent to treatment do when their child refuses treatment? Parental Refusal of Consent for their Child's Medical Treatment: An Ethical, Professional and Legal Dilemma. It follows that the right of child and parent to refuse treatment is not absolute. However, contrary to what many may think, parents do not have the legal right to refuse medical care for their children if that decision could mean the child coming to harm. This includes those with religious beliefs that discourage certain medical treatments. We also sometimes allow parents to refuse medical care for their children because of their strongly held religious convictions, though courts have been willing to step in and require clearly lifesaving and relatively low risk treatments such as blood transfusions or standard surgeries, even against the wishes of parents. Antagonizing the parents by imposing treatment may result in their avoiding Dr. Pittman or medical care altogether. 2016;69(3 Pt 1):346-51. It would be a blatant form of neglect. 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