The patient suffered from Down’s Syndrome. As his mother became unable to care for him, she sought his sterilisation to avoid his fathering, whilst in residential care, a child he could not care for.
Held: The application was refused. Where a patient was unable to give informed consent, the court must carry out a balancing exercise, the results of which may be different for men and women. There was no benefit to the care of the patient, and the operation could not be said to be in his personal best interests.
Citations:
Gazette 13-Jan-2000
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Cited by:
Cited – Portsmouth NHS Trust v Wyatt and others FD 7-Oct-2004
Charlotte Wyatt was born prematurely, and depended for day to day her life on medical support. Her doctors asked to be permitted not to resuscitate her again if she needed it. Her parents asked that she be given whatever chance was available for her . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Health
Updated: 10 May 2022; Ref: scu.81626