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Series

Health Law and Policy

Boston University School of Law

2001

Children

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Law

Conjoined Twins: The Limits Of Law At The Limits Of Life, George J. Annas Jan 2001

Conjoined Twins: The Limits Of Law At The Limits Of Life, George J. Annas

Faculty Scholarship

Conjoined twins have been the subject of scientific exhibits, medical study, human curiosity, and even entertainment, but until the year 2000, conjoined twins had never been the subject of a courtroom battle. A unique case that was the subject of two British court decisions deserves study.1 The case illustrates the difficulty of applying legal principles to unprecedented life-and-death decisions involving proposed medical interventions for children — particularly when parents and physicians disagree about what should be done.