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Withholding and withdrawing treatment in infant: Which ethical problems? Volume 24, issue 1, January-February-March 2022

Author
Equipe Êtres, UMR des Cordeliers ; Université de Paris, 15 rue de l’école de médecine. 75006 Paris, France

The aim of this publication is to explore the ethical tensions during withholding and withdrawing treatment in infant decision making.

The first difficulty is to identify an unreasonable obstinacy. Wilfulness, singularity of the situations, resort to dual effect theory, uncertainty, are studied. The parents’ place is evocated.

Collegiality and an ethical approach inspired by Ricœur’s thinking are proposed as a possible way to resolve some of the ethical tensions.