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AAP News Vol. 1 No. 5 May 1985, p. 1 © 1985 American Academy of Pediatrics
The final rule announced April 15 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services dealing with treatment of so-called Baby Doe cases "is far less intrusive than the (Department's) proposed draft regulations," said AAP President Robert J. Haggerty, M.D. The rule implements amendments to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act passed last year by Congress. The AAP joined with six senators and 18 medical, disability and "right to life" organizations in negotiations which led to the compromise amendments. The compromise expanded the definition of medical neglect traditionally included in the law to include "withholding of medically indicated treatment" for severely ill newborns.
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