Medical Futility and Parental Paternalism in Turkey
Medical Futility and Parental Paternalism in Turkey

Author(s): Banu Buruk, Berna Arda
Subject(s): Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Ethics / Practical Philosophy, Religion and science
Published by: Trivent Publishing
Keywords: Medical Futility; Medical ethics; Decision-making; children law; paediartrics; Parental Paternalism;
Summary/Abstract: The concept of futility is mainly dependent on the following question: “who will describe which treatment is futile and which is not?” Problem arises when the physician’s authority and the parents’ autonomy stand opposite to each other. There are several unique reasons for such disagreements in communitarian “we societies” like Turkey: relatives’ paternalistic attitude, the social environment, lack of medical information, the effect of the internet, and certain national daily news. Decision-making is also affected by cultural interactions, and of course the urgency of the medical condition of the child.

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