Open AccessCzego nauczyło nas Baby Doe?
Author(s) -
Weronika Chańska
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
etyka
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2392-1161
pISSN - 0014-2263
DOI - 10.14394/etyka.657
Subject(s) - politics , terminally ill , law , political science , psychology , engineering ethics , medicine , engineering , nursing , palliative care
The paper reconstructs a famous ethical debate on the Baby Doe case. The consequenceof the fact that contemporary medicine can not and probably should not treat all severelyhandicapped children is twofold: we have to establish who is entitled to decide on the ways oftreatment in the case of incompetent children (physicians, parents or ethical committees); andwhat are the criteria of fair judgment.The second part of the paper is an overview of Polish legal regulations establishing theproper kinds of treatment in the case of terminally ill patients. The author concludes withsome remarks on the place of ethical debate in political life of contemporary Poland.