Synopsis
Argues that is is not a moral crime to let severely defective newborns die naturally and that parents, not legal authorities, should make the ultimate decision
Reviews
Earl E. Shelp, an ethicist teaching at the Baylor University Medical School, offers a timely, thought-provoking analysis of the question of treatment decisions for defective newborns. While retracing the ground covered by Robert F. Weir in Selective Nontreatment of Handicapped Newborns ( LJ 7/84), Shelp takes a more guarded approach, carefully avoiding the dangers involved in setting up substantive criteria for categories of neonates. Thus his meticulous, reflective approach complements the more broad-brush style of Weir. The issues are far from any resolution by physicians, ethicists, or parents. Yet Shelp boldly defines the ethical boundaries of the dilemma of the critically ill newborn, making this an indispensable book for any library in medicine, nursing, or bioethics. Rev. David A. Buehler, Charlton Memorial Hospital, Fall River, Mass.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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