Lethal Language, Lethal Decisions

Although many of the congenital syndromes that used to be lethal no longer are, they are still routinely referred to as “lethal anomalies.” But the label is not only inaccurate, it is also dangerous: by portraying as a medical determination what is in fact a judgment about the child's quality o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Hastings Center report 2003-03, Vol.33 (2), p.37-41
Main Authors: KOOGLER, TRACY K., WILFOND, BENJAMIN S., ROSS, LAINIE FRIEDMAN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bioethics
Birth defects
Care and treatment
Child abuse
Children
Congenital Abnormalities - mortality
Disabilities
Ethics, Medical
Euthanasia
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Infants
Medical ethics
Neonatal intensive care
Neonatology
Newborns
Parents
Pediatric intensive care
Pediatrics
Physicians
Prognosis
Quality of Life
Refusal to Treat
Sick children
United States
Withholding Treatment
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Summary:Although many of the congenital syndromes that used to be lethal no longer are, they are still routinely referred to as “lethal anomalies.” But the label is not only inaccurate, it is also dangerous: by portraying as a medical determination what is in fact a judgment about the child's quality of life, it wrests from the parents a decision that only the parents can make.
ISSN:0093-0334
1552-146X
DOI:10.2307/3528153