Keywords
best interests
lethal defect
suffering
futile therapy
discontinuation of life support
withdrawal of treatment
How to Cite
Abstract
The article addresses the issue of health decisions for the youngest children with fatal congenital malformations whose treatment has no chances of success. It reviews Polish cases against the background of documented cases from the British and American area, generally of well-founded court decisions. According to author, the universally applied criterion of the child's welfare should be understood as the best interests of the child, understood as a balance of benefits, enjoyment of life, burdens, discomforts and suffering. On the basis of foreign judgments and with reference to current medical knowledge the author has formulated criteria according to which, in the opinion of the author's opinion, the cessation of treatment should be decided upon, including certain palliative measures: surgical corrections of palliative care: surgical revisions, artificial ventilation and nutrition and hydration. Even feeding may under certain circumstances may prove unhelpful or even harmful. The right to die in peace and dignity should be respected in this way, among others among other things, to spare unnecessary suffering, even when this tantamount to shortening an already ending life.
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