Andrew Carter

An article by Associate Clinical Professor Andrew Carter that advocates caution in judging parents who intervene in the medical treatment of their children was published on the Viewpoints page of The Arizona Republic on Sunday, Dec. 30.

In “The Thin Red Line,” Carter writes about Norma Bracamontes, who in November removed her young daughter from Phoenix Children’s Hospital without permission from her medical team. The hospital called the police because Bracamontes had removed an IV line from a catheter running to the girl’s heart, posing a risk for serious infection. The police investigation continues, and the Bracamontes family has refused to disclose their daughter’s precise location in Mexico where she is reportedly receiving treatment.

Carter’s article discusses cases in other states which instruct that “Arizona can (and should) move to compel life-sustaining cancer treatments for a child, even when the parents object.”

He concludes, “If the Bracamonteses are unprepared to give their daughter her very best chance at survival, Arizona should move to intervene. But let’s be cautious with our personal judgments.”

To read the article, click here.

Before joining the College of Law faculty in 2012, Carter practiced law in Vermont, focusing on representing civil litigants and criminal defendants. He also experience in the areas of estate planning, real estate transactions, family law, business formation and governance, state administrative law and probate law.