Which Babies Shall Live: HUMANISTIC DIMENSIONS OF THE CARE OF IMPERILED NEWBORNS (Contemporary Issues in Biomedicine, Ethics, and Society) (Contemporary Issues in Biomedicine, Ethics, and Society)

The fate of seriously ill newborns has captured the atten­ tion of the public, of national and state legislators, and of powerful interest groups. For the most part, the debate has been cast in the narrowest possible terms: "discrimination against the handicapped"; "physician authority"; "family autonomy." We believe that something much more profound is happening: the debate over the care of sick and dying babies appears to be both a manifestation of great changes in our feelings about infants, children, and families, and a reflection of deep and abiding attitudes toward the newborn, the handi­ capped, and perhaps other humans who are "less than" nor­ mal, rational adults. How could we cast some light on those feelings and attitudes that seemed to determine silently the course of the public debate? We chose to enlist the humanities-the dis­ players and critics of our cultural forms. Rather than closing down the public discussion, we wanted to open it up, to illuminate it with the light of history, religion, philosophy, literature, jurisprudence, and humanistically oriented sociol­ ogy. This book is a first effort to place the hotly contested Baby Doe debate into a broader cultural context. The fate of seriously ill newborns has captured the attenƯ tion of the public, of national and state legislators, and of powerful interest groups. For the most part, the debate has been cast in the narrowest possible terms: "discrimination against the handicapped"; "physician authority"; "family autonomy." We believe that something much more profound is happening: the debate over the care of sick and dying babies appears to be both a manifestation of great changes in our feelings about infants, children, and families, and a reflection of deep and abiding attitudes toward the newborn, the handiƯ capped, and perhaps other humans who are "less than" norƯ mal, rational adults. How could we cast some light on those feelings and attitudes that seemed to determine silently the course of the public debate? We chose to enlist the humanities-the disƯ players and critics of our cultural forms. Rather than closing down the public discussion, we wanted to open it up, to illuminate it with the light of history, religion, philosophy, literature, jurisprudence, and humanistically oriented sociolƯ ogy. This book is a first effort to place the hotly contested Baby Doe debate into a broader cultural context Front Matter....Pages i-xv Beyond Babies Doe....Pages 1-12 Front Matter....Pages 13-13 Caring for Babies in Danger....Pages 15-22 Science and Controversy in the History of Infancy in America....Pages 23-38 Response to “Science and Controversy in the History of Infancy in America”....Pages 39-45 Comment on “Science and Controversy in the History of Infancy in America”....Pages 47-55 Front Matter....Pages 57-57 Our Religious Traditions and the Treatment of Infants....Pages 59-70 “Suffer the Little Children ...”....Pages 71-82 Ethical Principles for the Care of Imperiled Newborns....Pages 83-135 The Right to Privacy and the Right to Refuse Care for the Imperiled Newborn....Pages 137-148 Front Matter....Pages 149-149 The Tyranny of the Normal....Pages 151-159 Comment on “The Tyranny of the Normal”....Pages 161-166 Front Matter....Pages 167-167 Consensus and Controversy in the Treatment of Catastrophically Ill Newborns....Pages 169-205 Conclusion....Pages 207-212 Back Matter....Pages 213-223 This book discusses such poignant themes as the suffering so often associated with neonatal care, including not only that of the infants themselves, but also that of their parents and caretakers. Authors assess the moral significance of this suffering, scrutinize the conflict between science and society over the 'what is best for the infant' principle, and examine the legal concept of privacy as an important element in the refusal of care for seriously ill newborns. -- from Book Jacket.