Cassandra Case Summary

Decent Essays
This article is about a 17 years old girl in Connecticut named Cassandra who refused to continue receiving chemotherapy to treat her Hodgkin’s lymphoma. At 17 years old, she still legally minor and her parents or guardians have the legal authority to make healthcare decisions on her behalf. Cassandra mother in this case upheld her daughter decision to refuse treatment. The Connecticut Supreme Court in this case ruled against Cassandra and her mother decision to refuse treatment. The court decided that the chemotherapy treatment be provided to Cassandra against her will. The court’s decision was based on its authority to overrule parents when their medical decisions threaten the life or health of their offspring.
There are two medical ethic

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Background David Hackett Souter was born on September 17, 1939 in Massachusetts. His father is Joseph Alexander Souter who was a banker and his mother is Helen Adams (Hackett) Souter who was a store clerk. He practices Episcopalian, which is a person who belongs to a Protestant Church.…

    • 2245 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    5.07 Case 18

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Have you ever met a person who didn’t have any parents or guardians ? Did you ever think about what might happen if something bad were to happen to them and they needed medical treatment?. You probably didn’t but that’s fine it’s not your job to worry about but this is a situation that could possibly happen so if it did what would they do?…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Re Baby B No 2 Summary

    • 2500 Words
    • 10 Pages

    In these circumstances, the Family Court or the Supreme Court acting in parens patriae jurisdiction may make orders in relation to the best interest of the child. These types of treatments are call “non-therapeutic” and the case law is well established in this area. Before the decision in Re Baby D ( No 2) , the judgment in Marion’s Case was a landmark decision which addressed parental consent to medical procedures for non-therapeutic benefits.…

    • 2500 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the case of Planned Parenthood of Southern Pennsylvania v. Casey, which was argued on April 22, 1992 and decided on June 29,1992, reviewed the various obligations and actions women along with young girls had to undergo in order to fully proceed an abortion. In the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act, which was passed in 1898, required females to provide a type of consent in order to be taken in as a patient. According to the “Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation,” this meant that if the patient was a minor she must provide a written consent from at least one of the parents in which brought acknowledgment and approval with the minor’s decision in getting an abortion. The only way that a minor did not have to provide a consent for an abortion was if the judge decided that minor was capable enough to make decisions on her own. If the…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Test Item #2: The definition of the word autonomy means to be self-determined or to have free will. Patients, who are competent and are of an appropriate age, all have the ability to be autonomous when it comes to making decisions about their healthcare.…

    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The issues examined by the District Court were whether a child’s liberty and due process rights were violated upon voluntary hospitalization into a mental health treatment. The Court also looked at the parent’s interest and whether the child’s interest was protected under the state hospital’s procedural approach in determining the child’s mental health and needs. The Court held that the Georgia statutory procedure for committing a minor to a mental health facility was unconstitutional because it violated the due process rights of the minor afforded by the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court also held that, absent of any abuse or neglect, the law provides parents a significant role in making decisions however it is not absolute. Since no statewide regulation exists for hospital intake and examination, hospitals have differing procedural processes. The Court held that the commitment decisions of hospital staff were too subjective and not adequate enough to protect the child’s liberty interest.…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A person’s autonomy is a privilege that is earned through the knowledge gained through life experiences. For children, the right to decide is withdrawn because the parent’s are thought to know what is best in the circumstances concerning their children. The ability to understand and comprehend the severity of illness or the consequences of decisions is lacking in adolescents. They are deemed incapable of making informed decisions thus incompetent; therefore, the parents are given the authority to provide or deny consent on behalf of their children. Similarly, elderly who are experiencing deteriorating illnesses may have an altered competence due to being in denial or having fear of the outcome.…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Roe V. Wade Case Study

    • 1900 Words
    • 8 Pages

    If the mother’s life is on the line, they will choose to save her over preserving the baby. “Another factor that the court had to take into consideration was clarifying what sorts of state government regulations were permissible under the ruling's trimester framework. Could a state require women to obtain their husband's consent before having an abortion? The Court said no. Could a state insist that minors obtain their parents' consent before having an abortion?…

    • 1900 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This approach is improper because the professional is taking away the mother's autonomy and ability to deny treatment without consequence. In this case, it is clear that the Supreme Court’s decision favors an agency model rather than a paternalistic model. The supreme court granted women who use drugs while pregnant the right to consent and confidentiality and chooses to ignore the emotions of the medical professionals treating these women. This is considered a ‘pro’ in the agency model because the patient has agency and the doctor cannot make decisions for the patient based on their moral evaluation or…

    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Minor Consent And Refusal

    • 1315 Words
    • 6 Pages

    This paper attempts to explore the health laws surrounding minor consent and refusal in Canada. Throughout this paper, particular attention will be given to a case AC vs. Manitoba [2009] within the Supreme Court of Canada and Van Mol vs. Ashmore [1999], within the British Columbia Court of Appeal. Many legalities and ethical issues surround this topic and concerns arise when particular decisions are made on behalf of the minor. Canadian federal legislation considers anyone under the age of sixteen a minor. The age of a minor is not the only considering factor to medical consent, but rather capacity to make informed decisions.…

    • 1315 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Canada, everyone is privileged to have rights, however what happens when those rights are violated. In the case of a 14-year-old Jehovah’s Witness, who refuses to have a blood transfusion, her rights are violated when her doctor forces her to have the transfusion, against her wishes. By doing so it breaches her right to equality, her fundamental freedom and her legal rights. The doctors infringed her rights to equality by forcing her to have the transfusion.…

    • 979 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Golden Rule In Health Care

    • 1040 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The AND’s position states that nutrition support and hydration will abide to an informed patient with decision making capacity. In the United States the principle of autonomy is the foundation of ethical principles of medical care choices. The individual’s right to self-determination will rule out the beliefs and desires of the health care team. This is the golden rule, the standard that all health care providers must follow, respect and uphold no matter what. If a patient denies oral, enteral or parenteral nutrition the best thing to do is attempt to educate and inform the patients about the benefits and possible risks that of such options.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “paramount right in the world. " Chief Justice Robin Davis summed up the case in one simple question. “Why does a natural parent have to prove fitness when she has never been found unfit?" he asked.…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Critical Illnesses

    • 190 Words
    • 1 Pages

    In health care, children with critical illnesses have a right or claim to be protected and medically treated regardless of the belief of the parents. Critically ill children technically are not of age to depicted the type of health care that is of their best religious interest. Parents should be obligated to seek help from a medical doctor because infants, children, and adolescents need to be treated immediately according to the symptoms that may occur instantaneously . Orthodox medical care is system of medicine in which medical doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals deliver treatment for diseases and their symptoms to the patients through the use of pharmaceuticals or surgery. Yes, the judges and jury have the right to question…

    • 190 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the United States, many young teenage women are having complications receiving the care that they want. For instance, part of the consent law can require parental decisions but the problem is that not many teenage girls want to have their parents know their privacy. Young girls are less likely to go get care they want if the parents need to know about. Privacy seems to be an issue between a young woman and the parent. At this period, parents need to be directly involved when an abortion is going to be occurred.…

    • 1024 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays