Evidence Commons^™

First, Do No Harm: The Use Of Covert Video Surveillance To Detect Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy- An Unethical Means Of "Preventing" Child Abuse, Michael T. Flannery

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Since it was first identified in 1977, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy has uniquely affected the way in which the medical and legal communities deal with the issue of child abuse. Inherent in the medical response to the disease are issues of suspicion, investigation, identification, confrontation, and, of course, the health of an innocent child. Given the deceptive dynamics of the disease, however, denial and disbelief naturally overshadow every action taken by medical professionals in pursuing these issues. Fortunately, as medical knowledge about the dynamics of the disease continues to develop, medical professionals become more willing and better able to identify …