What would you do part 2

[BluesMan]

A 17-year-old male with Cystic Fibrosis presents to the Emergency Department in Respiratory Failure. His condition is critical and he needs to be intubated and placed on mechanical support. (A tube inserted through his mouth or nose into his windpipe and placed on life support machine). He states that he wants everything done, and for you to place him on life support.

His mother then arrives and states that she does not want this medical care and that she is ready to let nature take its course.

[TheBigDog]

If that is the whole situation the I help him, absolutely.

 

Bill

[Celeste]

Of course, I would follow the young mans directive and fight for his rights until it was deemed otherwise. Unfortunately, with the young man being a minor, stating his wishes to be resuscitated may not be enough.

[Tormod]

In this case I would not honor any of them but seek outside input.

[Zythryn]

Ditto. I would seek additional input from a judge, or social worker if one is involved with the family.

Without additional information, I would guess that the court would rule that allowing the child to die is not in the child's best interest.

[Janus]

Ditto. I would seek additional input from a judge, or social worker if one is involved with the family.

Without additional information, I would guess that the court would rule that allowing the child to die is not in the child's best interest.

 

Of course that means you will have to keep him on life support until you get a judgement.

[Jay-qu]

so lawfully (though probably different from place to place) if the mother says so you have to let him go? Thats terrible.. I would keep him going hands down, plead that the mother was not in the right frame of mind to make such a decision..

[Zythryn]

Of course that means you will have to keep him on life support until you get a judgement.

 

Absolutely!

I am guessing here, but I would think the doctor involved could argue the mothers parental rights by claiming she is unfit. However, I suppose a judge, after reviewing the case could support the mother.

 

The child could also request the court allow him to 'divorce' his parents as some other children in the USA have done.

 

Now, if the child were unconscious and was not expected to regain consiousness then I would guess the mother would get her way. Unless, someone brought the issue before a judge on the childs behalf.

[Jay-qu]

and how do you divorce your parents so they dont take you off life support when you are unconsious?? not looking good for the poor kid

[Zythryn]

and how do you divorce your parents so they dont take you off life support when you are unconsious?? not looking good for the poor kid

 

Well, the situation given is that the child is conscious.

However, if they are not, we would need another person to challenge the mother's right to make that decision?

 

I really don't have specifics, this is all a guess as to how it works. If someone has experience with this type of law perhaps they could shed some light on how this works?

[TheFaithfulStone]

I think the ethics of this are pretty simple.

 

If the patient is not absolutely capable of making his own decisions and wishes to die, you defer to someone who is. If the patient is not absolutely capable of making his own decisions and wishes to live, you do what he wants.

 

I voted for him to live in both cases, actually.

 

In any case, only the supremely capable should be allowed to make the decision to die, If the guy in the first example had been 35 and clearly in possession of all his faculties, I would have let him go. (Well, I would have made him explain it to his wife.)

 

In any case, you always err on the side of keeping people alive I think. And when it doubt, go with the spouse or closest relative.

 

TFS

[Jay-qu]

Well, the situation given is that the child is conscious.

 

It didnt say that.. well I just assumed that he was :shrug:

[DarkColoredLight]

Again, I went with the mother. The son is delusional and doesn't know what he wants.

 

Too bad you can see through that lie with the big fat 0 for the mother. All's well.

[Zythryn]

It didnt say that.. well I just assumed that he was :eek_big:

 

Well, it stated the child made a request...

 

He states that he wants everything done, and for you to place him on life support.

 

 

DCL, so you are saying that you would disregard the childs request and allow him to die?? Just checking as sarcasm doesn't come across well on posts.

[DarkColoredLight]

Well, it stated the child made a request...

 

 

 

 

DCL, so you are saying that you would disregard the childs request and allow him to die?? Just checking as sarcasm doesn't come across well on posts.

 

Well in part 1, I voted for the mother. In this one the mother recieved 0 votes, as far as I know.

 

So yes there was a hint of sarcasm in my post.

[IDMclean]

This high-lights one of my major issues with society in this day and age. Not that it was better "back then", but that it can get better.

 

Children are concidered Second class citizens, as Slaves and Women were once concidered. they have essentially no rights, outside of those granted by the Parent or Guardian (got to hope they deserve the titles).

 

My mother treated me nothing less than another human being and as such I have always had issues with Authoritarian types.

 

Anyway so as to this, I would administer life giving aid to the child for so long as the child was alive and desiring it, so long as he displayed higher cognitive thinking and function. The laws of man, and the wishes of mother be damned. My oath as a doctor, in such a situation, demands that I preserve his life.

 

Till such time that I was forcably removed, I would continue in my duty to tend the sick and keep them alive so long as they wish to exercise their freedom of life.

 

 

An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so.

 

It is my duty as a living being to defend, to the death if nessessary, the right of another to live. It is the duty of the moral person to oppose an unjust law.

 

Extreame, I know, but that's just me. What else could I be?

[anglepose]

who you would listen to depends wholey on the situation if the guy was in a coma or on lifesurport obviusly you cant listen to him then i would listen to his relatives and look at the facts and make my own judgement