Responses on Consent to Medical Treatment of Minors

Secondary Responses
Student’s Name
Institution
Course Number and Name
Instructor’s Name
Date
DQ1.1
Response to AY
Child abuse and neglect cases are very complex and always evoke pity among other emotions. According to the Video Transcript, such cases are, more often than not, quite heart-wrenching. I concur with you in totality that in situations involving suspected neglect, courts should base their verdicts on circumstantial evidence. In some cases like in of In re K.I., parents are adjudged to have willfully neglected their child beyond any reasonable doubt. In such a case, they should be regarded as having forfeited their fundamental right over the child. However, there is a need to review the interpretation of child neglect and come up with one that is rational and realistic. In this respect, I find the New Jersey Statute §9:6-1 on child neglect quite wanting. I agree with you that some circumstances are not necessarily a result of human omission or commission; they are way beyond human control. When such circumstances come into play, the parents must be heard. This however begs the question, what are the parameters that should be effectively used to distinguish deliberate neglect from non-deliberate one?
Reference
Video Trascript. Week 1: Consent to Medical Treatment of Minors
Response to ES
Without a doubt, the issue of child neglect has, over the years, been a thorny one as far as the treatment preferences of a child are concerned. I agree with you that the underlying causes of neglect can distinctly differ causing even more complications. According to the Video Transcript, even courts find themselves in a dilemma and their authority limited when dealing with child neglect. In this regard, I feel that the law ought to appreciate the difference between `failure’ and `inability’ when investigating child neglect. Some statutes stipulate that neglect is the failure to provide children with basic needs. I find this vague and to some degree illogical because as you have intimated, there sometimes occur barriers and obstacles that are unforeseeable. When a parent cannot provide due to such, that is inability and not failure. In such a situation, therefore, the parents’ decision must not be summarily disregarded. In addition, I agree with you on the re...