Andrew Bedner
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Andrew Bedner is an American man at the center of a
bioethical Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, m ...
controversy regarding the rights of parents to make medical decisions for children they have allegedly abused. In August 2008, Bedner, a resident of
White River Junction, Vermont White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,528 at the 2020 census, up from 2,286 in 2010, making it the largest c ...
, was charged with intentionally injuring his eight-week-old daughter during a beating. The child's injuries proved severe, and Bedner faced a long prison sentence if convicted. However, Bedner did not face murder charges, as his critically ill daughter, referred to as C.B., remained on life support. The state of
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...
, where C.B. was hospitalized, sought to exclude Bedner from decisions regarding whether to remove his daughter from life support. The state cited his inherent conflict of interest in the case in that C.B.'s death might lead to a murder charge for Bedner. C.B. eventually died, but the case generated considerable public debate and stimulated a controversy among bioethics scholars. Dr. Jacob Appel of Mount Sinai Hospital used the case to launch a drive for revising statutes governing parental decision-making in cases where abuse is alleged. According to Appel, such "dual motives" create a compelling reason for the state to suspend parental decision-making over end-of-life decisions. In 2009, leading bioethics scholar Thaddeus Mason Pope profiled the case on his medical futility website.Withdrawal Okay When Surrogate's Refusal to Consent Based on Wrong Reasons
Oct. 25, 2009


See also

* Child abuse *
Bioethics Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, m ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedner, Andrew 1981 births Living people Medical controversies in the United States Parenting in the United States