Ethics & Health Law News

Stay updated with the latest news and journal articles on Health Law & Ethics.

Archive for category Children

Struggle over ‘ownership’ of baby split gay parents

Sep 9

Posted by Nancy Lentz in Best Interests, Children, Discrimination, Health Law, New Legislation | Comments off

The Australian, By Kim Arlington, 9 September 2010

“The set out together to create a much-wanted child. But when baby E was born, his lesbian parents, and the gay couple who donated their sperm, were unprepared for the ”flood of emotions” that hit them. Although the four had discussed parental responsibilities and visiting arrangements at a “baby summit” before E’s conception, the Family Court heard that in the struggle for ”ownership” of the child after his birth, the women stopped the men from seeing him.”

Find article here.

Parents shocked by student HIV scare

Sep 9

Posted by Nancy Lentz in Children, Infectious Disease, Safety | Comments off

ABC News, By Meredith Griffiths, 8 September 2010

“Parents are shocked at how a group of Tasmanian students may have been put at risk of contracting blood-borne diseases during a class experiment. More than a dozen year nine and 10 students at the Dover District High School in southern Tasmania have undergone blood tests following the experiment.”

Find article here.

Cedillo and Cedillo v Secretary of Health and Human Services, 2010-5004

Sep 8

Posted by Edwina Light in Case Law, Children, Health Law, US Health Services, Vaccination | Comments off

United States Court of Appeals of the Federal Circuit, decision 27 August 2010
“This case is one of approximately five thousand cases that have been filed under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, 42 U.S.C. §§ 300aa-1 to -34 (“Vaccine Act”) in the Court of Federal Claims claiming a link between childhood vaccines and autism. The Special Masters created the Omnibus Autism Proceeding (“OAP”) to determine the relationship, if any, between vaccines and autistic spectrum disorders.  Petitioners Theresa and Michael Cedillo seek compensation on behalf of their daughter, Michelle Cedillo (“Michelle”). Their case is a part of the OAP proceeding. The Cedillos alleged that the measles-mumps-rubella (“MMR”) vaccine together with thimerosal-containing vaccines (“TCVs”) caused Michelle to suffer from various medical conditions, including autism.”
Find decision here.

Toward a Coherent Account of Pediatric Decision Making

Sep 7

Posted by Edwina Light in Best Interests, Bioethics, Children, Competence and Capacity, Human Rights | Comments off

J Med Philos (2010), early release online, doi: 10.1093/jmp/jhq039
Author: Ana S. Iltis
“Within and among societies, there are competing understandings of the status of children, including debates over whether they can bear rights and, if so, which rights they bear and against whom, and their capacity to make decisions and be held responsible and accountable for actions. …These and other related debates reflect deep differences in worldviews, in how one understands the legitimate role of the state, in how one comes to know the proper way to raise children, and so on. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child purports to reflect international convergence on the rights of children, on how decisions concerning children should be made, and on how children ought to be treated by the state and by their parents. This paper examines whether the Convention’s framework for decision making concerning children is an appropriate framework for pediatric bioethics.”
Find abstract here.

Marketing, Leadership, and the Health of Children

Sep 7

Posted by Edwina Light in Children, Health information and education, Nutrition, Public Health, obesity | Comments off

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010;164(9):878-879. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2010.152
Editorial: J. Michael McGinnis
“Marketing works. This was a basic finding of the 2006 report of the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Food Marketing to Children and Youth. That report, Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity? presented a comprehensive and rigorous assessment of all qualified scientific studies published on the relationship between food and beverage marketing patterns and practices and the dietary attitudes, beliefs, practices, and nutrition-related status of children and youth. The committee concluded that the evidence supported a causal relationship between television advertising targeted to children and teenagers and their food preferences, short-term food consumption, and—for children—longer-term dietary patterns.  With respect to marketing’s direct and causal association with overweight and obesity, the Institute of Medicine committee determined that the studies that were assessed were not long enough to offer a formal finding one way or the other…”
Find editorial and link to related research article here.

Indoor Tanning — Science, Behavior, and Policy

Sep 6

Posted by Edwina Light in Children, Public Health, Regulatory Compliance, Safety | Comments off

N Engl J Med 2010; 363:901-903September 2, 2010
Authors: David E. Fisher, and William D. James
“An estimated 1 million times per day, someone in the United States uses ultraviolet (UV) radiation for skin tanning. According to the indoor tanning industry, tanning beds are used by 30 million Americans, or about 10% of the U.S. population, each year (www.theita.com/indoor). These users include minors, who often have ready access to tanning beds. In response to considerable grassroots and political opposition to indoor tanning, in late March the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) convened an advisory panel to review the safety of the procedure. The FDA is expected to announce a decision soon on whether and how to reclassify tanning lamps and possibly to address minors’ access to them.”
Find article here.

Consumer group Choice takes a stand on BPA risk to babies

Sep 6

Posted by Sabina Bhate in Children, Health Law, Product Liability, Safety | Comments off

Australian- 02 September, 2010

Author: Adam Cresswell

“BPA has come under increasing scrutiny worldwide amid growing but still unproven fears it could damage human health. A number of countries, including Canada and some European states, have banned BPA in infant-feeding bottles following concerns infants could be at greater risk.”

Read article here.

Oppostion leader Barry O’Farrell backs same-sex adoption bill

Sep 2

Posted by Nancy Lentz in Best Interests, Children, Discrimination, Health Law, Principle-Based Ethics | Comments off

Daily Telegraph, AAP, 2 September 2010

“NSW Opposition Leader Barry O’Farrell has spoken in support of a bill to allow same-sex couples to adopt children, saying the current system is discriminatory. Mr O’Farrell had until now not indicated whether he would back the bill, saying he did not want to sway Coalition MPs who have been allowed a conscience vote on the issue.”

Find article here.

Calgary family sues Children’s Hospital

Aug 29

Posted by Nancy Lentz in Case Law, Children, Negligence | Comments off

CBC News, AP, 27 August 2010

“A $1 million lawsuit has been filed against Alberta Children’s Hospital by a Calgary family. Papers filed in court this week claim a young girl suffered serious brain damage, blindness and other injuries as a result of improper care.”

Find article here.

Appeals court: vaccine does not cause autism

Aug 29

Posted by Nancy Lentz in Case Law, Children, Vaccination | Comments off

Food Consumer, By Jimmy Downs, 28 August 2010

“A federal appeals court on Friday ruled against the families of autistic children who claimed that vaccination led to autism, a disorder that now affects one in 110 children in the  United States.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a ruling against Michelle Cedillo of Yuma, Arizona last year by a special vaccine court. The plaintiff is disabled with autism and autism related diseases like inflammatory bowel disease; she believes vaccination led to her autism.”

Find article here.