In a very real sense, neonatologlsts and pediatricians are the delegates of society. They have a direct responsibility to the child that does not stem entirely from the parents. The philosophy behind this delegation and the desire for children to be strong and healthy is not based upon a perverted notion that the child exists for the society. Rather, the delegation results from the assumption that society exists far the individual. Maintaining that medical personnel caring for infants and children receive a mandate from society as well as from the parents, does not preempt the responsibilities of parents.
Parents are also advocates for their children.
But this mandate does indicate that decision making concerning medical therapy for infants and children is a collaborative process. The unifying theme of this collaboration is that both parents and medical team have an ethical responsibility to strive for the overall well-being of the infant or child. Overall well-being is very difficult to judge, especially for infants, but it involves more than mere physiological function. In addition to the function of the infant, medical personnel consider social and economic factors as they assess well being. There are some cases, especially if severe neurological deprivation is evident, when continuing life support clearly does not result in overall benefit for the infant.