Law and Ethics
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22927913 |
|---|---|
| Authors | ARTHUR ZUCKER (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1997 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 107-110 |
| Publication date | 1997-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Death Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0748-1187 • E-ISSN: 1091-7683 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/074811897202155 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 4 |
In 1987, the mother of a severely retarded woman (Cindy) petitioned a Pennsylvania court to have her daughter sterilized. The mother said that she noticed male patients taking a sexual interest in her daughter, who is estimated to have the mental capacities of a 5-year-old. The crucial problem for the retarded woman was severe epilepsy, which could be life-threatening if combined with a pregnancy. Because Pennsylvania law requires the appointing of a legal guardian to look after the rights of the retarded in such cases, the final order was not given until the end of 1994. And, it was ‘given’ only in the sense that: the Pennsylvania Supreme Court refused to prevent the sterilization, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an emergency appeal (“Retarded woman is sterilized,” 1995).
Political science · Disability Rights and Representation · Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric Healthcare · Law · Patient Dignity and Privacy · Psychology
| Highly cited | No |
|---|