In January 2008, Elliot S. Saffran
was charged with animal cruelty for refusing to euthanize Quincy, his 29-year-old arthritic horse.
Several veterinarians have said that the horse was suffering and should be euthanized.
While the horse
recently died, the Massachusetts criminal case is proceeding. If convicted, Saffran faces up to five years in prison and a $2,500 fine.
With respect to human beings, a provider is typically subject to liability and discipline for failing to comply with a request to stop life-sustaining medical treatment. But what about the situation where the patient is suffering but the surrogate demands continued aggressive treatment? Here, the legal focus is often on the consequences of
refusing to comply. But perhaps there should be legal consequences for
agreeing to comply, consequences for causing patient suffering.
In January 2008, Elliot S. Saffran was charged with animal cruelty for refusing to euthanize Quincy, his 29-year-old arthritic horse. 
0 comments:
Post a Comment