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Title
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Baby Doe controversies
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Date
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1982-1985
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Description
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A series of disputes beginning with the 1982 Bloomington, Indiana Infant Doe case concerning treatment decisions for newborns with disabilities. Federal interventions, litigation, and subsequent legislation brought disability discrimination, parental authority, medical judgment, and quality-of-life assessments into national debate.
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ABP identifier
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ABP-E-0012
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Historical significance
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Made disability, neonatal treatment, discrimination, quality-of-life judgments, and competing forms of decision-making authority central questions in American bioethics.
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Intellectual stream
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Disability bioethics
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Law & public policy
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Clinical ethics & professionalism
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Verification status
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Verified
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Evidence confidence
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High
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Historical role
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National controversy over treatment decisions for disabled newborns and the authority of parents, clinicians, courts, and government.
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Open question
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How should the project represent the participation and differing positions of disability-rights advocates in the Baby Doe controversies?