Baby K


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Baby K

An anencephalic infant born in Virginia (1992–1995) who became a “poster child” for an array of bioethical issues.

Facts
Anencephaly was diagnosed prenatally; the obstetrician and neonatologist advised termination. The mother chose to continue the pregnancy based on her fundamentalist Christian belief that all life should be protected and, once born, refused to sign a DNR consent. The Federal District Court upheld her decision, and Fairfax Hospital was compelled to continue care of the child.

Ethical issues raised
The controversial court ruling raised questions about the definitions of death, personhood and medical futility, as well as what constitutes appropriate allocation of limited resources.
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References in periodicals archive ?
The 51-year-old ''Friends in Low Places'' singer says he'd like to thank everyone ''for their warm wishes and sweet celebration of Baby K's arrival.''
Honey Boo Boo might be the youngest celebrity to have her own reality TV show but with Baby K on the way we foresee a new show dedicated to the little one's oohs and hs, diaper changes and burps.
Will Baby K stir up some fun at the Millions of Milkshakes counter or take to endorsing sneakers like his/her rapper dad?
Her clothing range, Baby K, offers a "sumptuous" range of baby wear and accessories for newborns up to three years old.
Presenter, model and musician Klass, who was propelled to fame with reality television band Hear'Say, said: "I am so excited about my Baby K range.
A story like the one presented here about Baby K cannot help but fire the imaginations of students.
The story of Baby K, like the other stories in the three units, raises fascinating and troubling questions.
As the recent court case of Baby K in Virginia shows, the practice of withholding or withdrawing treatment is not at all settled legally.
There are, of course, patients and families (like Baby K's mother) who cannot bring themselves to forego any treatment regardless of its futility.
Wanglie's husband to act as her surrogate.[1] The recent decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit regarding Baby K, who was born in October 1992 in the Fairfax (Va.) Hospital, likewise fails to live up to its advance billing as the case that would decide whether physicians are obligated to provide life-sustaining treatment that they think is futile.[2]
Baby K suffers from anencephaly, a congenital malformation in which major portions of the brain and skull are absent.
One, In re Baby K, involved efforts by the mother of a severely disabled anencephalic baby to require a local hospital to treat her child's periodic respiratory crises.(6) The other, Fox v.