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Conversation and implications till date:

It would be interesting to look at why the government has decided that sick premature babies must be kept alive at all costs, but it allows parents to make life-or-death decisions for their children in any other circumstance. What about premature babies requires special treatment compared to other children? I wonder if this has anything to do with the abortion debate or if the people who supported the passage of the Baby Doe laws were the same people fighting Roe vs. Wade? To me it just doesn't make sense to take away the parents' right/responsibility to make medical decisions for their children in some situations but not in others – cleonard

Interesting issue in its own right, and as specific case of a more general problem: when and on what grounds do we assert the priority of collective (eg governmental authority) over individual decision making?  Re vaccination?  Re humans as research subjects?  Etc.  And when we do, how do agree on the voice of collective authority?  For more on the general problem, see autonomy versus authority as a general issue?  - pgrobste              

I don't think it's the government's role to interfere with parent's decisions. The government doesn't need to act like a parent with responsibility for pre-mature babies- the actual parents should have control over the child's treatment. Maybe the government should protect against extreme cases, where parents may make harmful choices. But parents should make the final decision in gray area cases. From the passages we discussed in class, it also seemed like the doctors were trying to interfere with the parent's decisions. Doctors clearly have no role in these decisions. I think with the pro-life movement, there is a strong effort to protect young life. But the government and doctors need to look further at possible complications for premature babies. It's not just about life, but also quality of life – lbonnell

·         Perhaps this issue/debate is only part of a larger issue/debate (pro-choice, pro-life), and it would be interesting to research just how much the “larger issues” have affected this “small issue.”

·         It is not the government’s place to interfere with the choices and decisions of parents.

·         Perhaps the government has the responsibility to oversee “extreme cases” – however we define that.

·         In addition, they role of government in individual lives must be clarified…

·         Doctors should not have a role in any of these decisions because in the final analysis they are not the ones who end up living with the children.