Baby Doe Five Years Later

Lantos reviews the public and political controversy over withholding\nlife-prolonging treatment from handicapped newborns that began in 1983 with\nthe highly publicized death of "Baby Doe" in Bloomington, Indiana. He places\nthe controversy into its historical context and discusses the implications of\nthe resulting federal legislation (the amended Child Abuse Prevention and\nTreatment Act) for the Reagan administration, pediatricians, advocates for the\nhandicapped, and parents. Lantos's central concern is the impact that the\nissue of neonatal intensive care has had on child health in the United States. \nHe argues that the focus on technology-based interventions diverts attention\nfrom the real problem, which is a high rate of infant mortality resulting\nprimarily from low birth weight. In Lantos's opinion, the Baby Doe\ncontroversy has removed important preventive medicine programs from political\nand clinical agendas. (KIE abstract)