A dult patients have the moral and legal right to make decisions about their own medical care. Because young children are not able to make complex decisions for themselves, the authority to make medical decisions on behalf of a child usually falls to the child's parents.
Parents have the responsibility and authority to make medical decisions on behalf of their children.
This includes the right to refuse or discontinue treatments, even those that may be life-sustaining . However, parental decision making should be guided by the best interests of the child. Decisions that are clearly not in a child's best interest can and should be challenged. In most cases, a child's parents are the persons who care the most about their child and know the most about him. As a result, parents are expected to make the best medical decisions for their children.