The Act Prohibits Discriminating against disabled child or infant with Lifelong Congenital Defects! Phoenix Children Hospital has opened a clinic in 2013 for Down Syndrome infant and children. Where once we thought it wasn't possible. If the appropriate education and preparations are made into reality!
A Child is Never Forgotten
In 1982, Baby Doe's situation caught national attention when the parents, with the advice of their physicians, chose not to perform life-saving surgery (Pro-Life). Baby Doe instead received medication to reduce suffering, but received no food or water. Baby Doe died of dehydration several days after birth, but not before the Reagan Administration, pro-life and disability groups, began to draft a federal policy for intervening in such medical cases. In the case of Baby Doe the lack of medical recourse and the lack of attention from the parents shows that the Baby Doe Law in fact didn’t protect the right or mandate care for this infant, for he can’t speak, but in fact died of dehydration. My next point is this: allowing parents to be the sole and final arbiters of whether such a child will receive medical care is fundamentally unfair, first because the child has a right to it and second because the interests of the child and the parents may be opposed: they may want the child dead.
Author: Shawna Ford Student @ Paradise Valley Community College:https://www.linkedin.com/