header-logo header-logo

Caring to the bitter end

14 April 2017 / Jonathan Herring
Issue: 7742 / Categories: Features , Family
printer mail-detail
nlj_7742_herring

Jonathan Herring considers a tragic case concerning the right to withhold invasive medical treatment

  • Disputes over medical treatment of sick children must be decided on the best interests principle.
  • The right to life does not require patients to be given treatment which is not in the best interests to be kept alive.

A v MC (Care Proceedings) [2017] EWHC 370 (Fam) was one of those heart-breaking cases involving a seriously ill child. C was 13 and had multiple, significant disabilities. He had a limited life expectancy. The NHS Trust sought a declaration that it was lawful to withhold invasive treatment. His mother opposed the declaration.

C had severe four limb involvement spastic quadriplegia with athetoid cerebral palsy, global developmental delay, no vocal communication, curvature of the spine, epilepsy, very limited swallowing reflex, and respiratory problems. His lungs were damaged by previous infections and he was he suffered chronic malnourishment. He did not have mental capacity to be involved in decisions about his care. C lived with his mother and had very occasional

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors examine recent international relocation cases where allegations of domestic abuse shaped outcomes
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
back-to-top-scroll