Biomaterial Database

Ethical problems in the management of some severely handicapped children. 1981

J Harris

This paper examines some of the arguments advanced and acted upon by doctors concerned in decisions about whether severely handicapped patients should live or die. It criticises the view that 'selective treatment' is morally preferable to infanticide and shows how the standard arguments advanced for this preference fail to sustain it. It argues that the self-deception, which is sometimes cited as a sign of humanity in these cases, and which is implicit in the term 'selective treatment' is more dangerous than is the remote chance of brutalisation which is often cited as the danger of active euthanasia.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007883	Legislation, Medical	Laws and regulations, pertaining to the field of medicine, proposed for enactment or enacted by a legislative body.	Medical Legislation
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D004992	Ethics, Medical	The principles of professional conduct concerning the rights and duties of the physician, relations with patients and fellow practitioners, as well as actions of the physician in patient care and interpersonal relations with patient families.	Medical Ethics
D005065	Euthanasia	The act or practice of killing or allowing death from natural causes, for reasons of mercy, i.e., in order to release a person from incurable disease, intolerable suffering, or undignified death. (from Beauchamp and Walters, Contemporary Issues in Bioethics, 5th ed)	Mercy Killing,Killing, Mercy,Killings, Mercy,Mercy Killings
D005066	Euthanasia, Passive	Failing to prevent death from natural causes, for reasons of mercy by the withdrawal or withholding of life-prolonging treatment.	Allowing to Die,Euthanasia, Negative,Negative Euthanasia,Passive Euthanasia
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D016136	Spina Bifida Occulta	A common congenital midline defect of fusion of the vertebral arch without protrusion of the spinal cord or meninges. The lesion is also covered by skin. L5 and S1 are the most common vertebrae involved. The condition may be associated with an overlying area of hyperpigmented skin, a dermal sinus, or an abnormal patch of hair. The majority of individuals with this malformation are asymptomatic although there is an increased incidence of tethered cord syndrome and lumbar SPONDYLOSIS. (From Joynt, Clinical Neurology, 1992, Ch55, p34)	Dermal Sinus,Spinal Bifida, Closed,Occult Spina Bifida,Closed Spinal Bifida,Sinus, Dermal,Spina Bifida, Occult
D028601	Euthanasia, Active	The act or practice of killing for reasons of mercy, i.e., in order to release a person or animal from incurable disease, intolerable suffering, or undignified death. (from Beauchamp and Walters, Contemporary Issues in Bioethics, 5th ed)	Active Euthanasia
D028761	Withholding Treatment	Withholding or withdrawal of a particular treatment or treatments, often (but not necessarily) life-prolonging treatment, from a patient or from a research subject as part of a research protocol. The concept is differentiated from REFUSAL TO TREAT, where the emphasis is on the health professional's or health facility's refusal to treat a patient or group of patients when the patient or the patient's representative requests treatment. Withholding of life-prolonging treatment is usually indexed only with EUTHANASIA, PASSIVE, unless the distinction between withholding and withdrawing treatment, or the issue of withholding palliative rather than curative treatment, is discussed.	Withdrawing Care,Cessation of Treatment,Withdrawing Treatment,Care, Withdrawing,Treatment Cessation,Treatment Cessations,Treatment, Withdrawing,Treatment, Withholding,Treatments, Withdrawing,Treatments, Withholding,Withdrawing Treatments,Withholding Treatments
D035761	Wedge Argument	An assertion that an action apparently unobjectionable in itself would set in motion a train of events leading ultimately to an undesirable outcome. (From Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, 1995)	Slippery Slope Argument,Slippery Slope Arguments,Wedge Arguments