Opinion ID: 795353
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Whether Pabon's Constitutional Rights Were Violated

Text: 43 Having defined the contours of the Fourteenth Amendment right to medical information, we now turn to whether Pabon has successfully alleged a violation of that right. To the extent Pabon's claim alleges that requiring him to undergo a liver biopsy before considering him eligible for Hepatitis C treatment constituted a violation of his right to refuse medical treatment, we find no constitutional violation. Pabon's doctors concluded that a liver biopsy was a necessary predicate to prescribing Interferon to treat Pabon's Hepatitis C and that prescribing Interferon without performing a prior biopsy was a medically unsound course of action. Pabon remained free to refuse to undergo the biopsy and hence to remain ineligible for Interferon treatment. But he did not exercise that right; instead, because he apparently wanted to avail himself of the benefits of Interferon, he consented to undergo the biopsy. Pabon was therefore not forced to undergo a biopsy. He was simply presented with the option of either consenting to the course of treatment prescribed by his physicians — a biopsy to determine that Interferon was appropriate followed by the Interferon — or to refuse treatment altogether. He chose the former. 44 Pabon's stronger claim is that Defendants violated his constitutional rights by performing a biopsy and administering Interferon without providing him sufficient information so as to be able to make an informed decision regarding whether to accept or refuse such treatment. This allegation implicates Pabon's right to medical information. Pabon has submitted evidence, first, that he was not informed of the risks and side effects associated with either liver biopsies or Interferon/Ribavirin treatment and, second, that had he been aware of those risks and side effects, he would have declined treatment. Finally, Pabon's complaint implies that at least some Defendants acted with the intent to induce Pabon to undergo treatment that he otherwise might have declined. See Second Amend. Compl. ¶ 53(Dr. Rush was fully aware of the extremely severe and dangerous side effects of [the prescription drugs administered to Pabon.] Nevertheless, Dr. Rush falsely informed Pabon that there were no side effects ... with full knowledge ... that Pabon participated in conjugal visits ... with his wife.). As a result, we think that the allegations contained in Pabon's complaint successfully make out a violation of his constitutional right to medical information. Despite the allegations in Pabon's complaint, the district court determined that the evidence submitted by Pabon was insufficient to show that Defendants acted with anything more than negligence. Because we find that the right to medical information was not clearly established at the time of Pabon's treatment, see infra, we need not search the record to determine whether Pabon submitted evidence from which a reasonable fact-finder could have inferred that Defendants acted with deliberate indifference or whether the district court's finding of nothing more than negligence was correct. 45 We note here that, because the district court understandably failed to analyze Pabon's claim according to the framework we set forth in this opinion, the record below was not developed with respect to whether legitimate penological interests would permit state officials to insist that a prisoner undergo medical treatment for Hepatitis C over that prisoner's objections. Without the benefit of such a factual record, we express no opinion here as to whether the administration of a liver biopsy or Interferon treatment to prisoners who test positive for Hepatitis C despite the prisoners' desire to forego such treatment would be constitutionally permissible. 46