"Do No Harm": An Evaluation of the Courts’ Decision-Making Policies in Overruling Children & Families’ Refusal of Treatment

dc.contributor.authorRoss, Kayleigh
dc.date.accessioned2017-10-31T18:22:02Z
dc.date.available2017-10-31T18:22:02Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.descriptionRecommended Citation: Ross, Kayleigh. “‘Do No Harm’: An Evaluation of the Courts’ Decision-Making Policies in Overruling Children & Families’ Refusal of Treatment.” Royal Road, 2017. https://doi.org/10.48497/49QC-YK07.
dc.description.abstractThe purpose of this research paper is to prove why the courts have the authority to overrule families’ and children’s refusal of potentially life-saving treatment. The author describes the decision-making policies and laws used to guide judges’ decisions and justify their rulings. The case of Cassandra C., a seventeen-year-old minor diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, helps demonstrate how these policies are practiced in the courtroom. Court cases, particularly the case of Daniel Hauser, are used as evidence to describe why the court’s actions are warranted even in cases in which treatment is refused based on a family’s religious values. The courts’ decisions are ultimately justified since legislation’s primary initiative is to protect the greater welfare of society. After proving that the courts’ decisions are warranted, the author suggests that legislatures adopt the harm principle, contrary to the best interest standard, to not only justify court intervention, but also to clarify the circumstances necessary for involvement. With support from professionals in this field of study, the author also encourages legislators to implement the constrained parental autonomy model as opposed to the mature minor doctrine. By employing the harm principle and constrained parental autonomy model, the author argues that these decision-making laws will clarify when court intervention is justified, and thus cause less conflict in the courtroom.en_US
dc.identifier.citationRoss, Kayleigh. “‘Do No Harm’: An Evaluation of the Courts’ Decision-Making Policies in Overruling Children & Families’ Refusal of Treatment.” Royal Road, 2017. https://doi.org/10.48497/49QC-YK07.
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.48497/49qc-yk07
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11868/221
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherDepartment of English and Writing, The University of Tampaen_US
dc.subjectCourt casesen_US
dc.subjectPatient refusal of treatmenten_US
dc.subjectLegislationen_US
dc.subjectBest interest standarden_US
dc.subjectHarm principleen_US
dc.subjectMature minor doctrineen_US
dc.subjectEthicsen_US
dc.title"Do No Harm": An Evaluation of the Courts’ Decision-Making Policies in Overruling Children & Families’ Refusal of Treatmenten_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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