PEDIATRICS Vol. 72 No. 4 October 1983, pp. 572-573
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The Decision to Forgo Life-Sustaining Treatment for Seriously III Newborns

JAMES E. STRAIN MD1

1 President, American Academy of Pediatrics

The specter of government intervention in the care of handicapped infants has reappeared in the form of a new "Baby Doe" regulation issued by the Department of Health and Human Services. If nothing else, the regulation has caused us to reexamine the process by which decisions are made in the care of the handicapped. The outcome of the Academy's discussions with DHHS has major implications, not just for pediatricians and the infants and children we care for but for people of all ages. It's possible, if not probable, that the same rules will apply to the care of the elderly, especially in regard to the withdrawal of life support treatment, if the Baby Doe rule goes into effect.