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Samuel Golubchuk, R.I.P. per Professor Pope...

Thanks, Leslie, for the tip.

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There are many reasons that providers resists some treatment requests by surrogates. They distrust the surrogate is acting in accordance with the patient's wishes or best interests. They think the requested treatment will cause suffering. They think that providing the requested treatment violates their professional or personal ethics. Or they might think that providing the requested treatment is a waste of hard or soft resources.

The Golubchuk dispute was framed as a dispute over whether providers had to provide treatment that they felt was inconsistent with their roles as medical professionals. Grace Hospital and the critical care providers were basically saying, "Dear family of Sam Golubchuk, you are asking we medical professionals to do something that we just don't do. It's just not part of the services that we offer or provide."

The providers were not saying that Golubchuk ought not be able to receive the treatment his family requested. They did not want to criminalize it (like laetrile or like abortion in the 1960s). They just did not want to be involved. One might say that it is like ordering osso bucco in a vegetarian restaurant. There is nothing wriong with cooking, ordering, or eating osso bucco. But that does not mean a customer should sit down at a table in a vegetarian restaurant and order it. Not only is osso bucco not on the menu but serving it is inconsistent with the very mission of the restaurant.

Posted by Thaddeus Mason Pope at 1:47 PM

Futile Treatment Disputes Like Ordering Off the Menu

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Haleigh Poutre echoes in a new case...

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WORCESTER— A 2-month-old girl remains on life support in the hospital after her father apparently rolled over on her while they were sleeping in the same bed in their city apartment two weeks ago.

The incident, which is still under investigation by police and the district attorney’s office, occurred June 10 at an apartment at 208 Pilgrim Ave., in the Grafton Hill neighborhood, that the father, David Letourneau, shares with Sara Elliott and their two young children.

The girl, suffering from diminished brain function, was taken by ambulance to UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus after the 5:40 p.m. incident.

“She’s in very grave, very grave condition,” Lt. William O’Connor, head of the police special crimes unit, said yesterday after a meeting of investigators who have been working on the case.

Lt. O’Connor said police investigators have been consulting with the state Department of Social Services, the district attorney’s office, and the hospital. No charges have been filed.

The DSS has taken custody of the girl and her 1-year-old brother.

Alison R. Goodwin, a DSS spokeswoman, said any decisions about whether the girl should be kept on life support will be made in juvenile court, and a court hearing will be held soon to determine if she is to be kept alive by extraordinary means.

“This is absolutely the court’s decision,” she said.

The DSS came under criticism in 2006 for seeking to remove life support from Haleigh Poutre, a 10-year-old girl who lapsed into a coma and was being kept alive by artificial means in a Springfield hospital after allegedly being beaten by her adoptive mother and stepfather.

The DSS, which had custody of the girl, eventually won court approval to withdraw life support, but Haleigh soon began to breathe on her own and displayed signs of responsiveness. Her condition later stabilized to some extent.

A message left at the home of Ms. Elliott and Mr. Letourneau was not returned.

Ms. Goodwin characterized the Worcester episode as “an incident of co-sleeping,” or bed-sharing between adults and children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has noted reports of infants being suffocated by adults lying over them, particularly when the adult is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

At least one study cited by the academy showed that bed-sharing with multiple family members in an adult bed can be hazardous for an infant.

Contact Shaun Sutner by e-mail at ssutner@telegram.com.

Father rolls on girl, 2 months, in bed sharing... Child remains on life support

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