The Court of Appeal and conjoined twins: condemning the unworthy life?
The recent decision of the Court of Appeal authorising separation of the conjoined twins 'J' and 'M' appears susceptible to attack on the basis of various inconsistencies. Most fundamentally, the leading judgment of Ward LJ in Re A (Children) (2000) appears to involve a relative devaluation of M's life in consequentialist terms. One life is better than no life appears to be the message, an evaluation apparently reached by reference to 'Quality' of life considerations. But in his speech Ward LJ explicitly rejects such an approach.
Huxtable
R
R
Centre for Ethics in Medicine, Bristol University.
D002410:Catholicism; D026689:Ethical Analysis; D005066:Euthanasia, Passive / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018579:Patient Selection; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014428:Twins, Conjoined / Q000601:surgery*; D006113:United Kingdom; D026712:Value of Life