Mother loses bid to clarify rights of parents in treatment decisions

The mother of a brain damaged boy in England last week failed in a bid to win a High Court ruling clarifying the rights of doctors to override parents' wishes in treating their children.

Carol Glass, 37, sought the ruling at the High Court in London after a dispute with doctors over whether her 12 year old son, David, should be allowed to die. She argued that doctors at St Mary's hospital, Portsmouth, acted unlawfully in giving David diamorphine, which she feared would depress his breathing and hasten his death, against her wishes. She asked the judge to rule that doctors cannot give or refuse treatment against a …