American Notes

Carlton Johnson was suffering from spina bifida, a condition in which the spine is not closed, as an infant at Children's Memorial Hospital in Oklahoma City in 1981. On the advice of hospital doctors, his parents did not request corrective surgery. Carlton survived, thanks in part to a later operation, but is now mentally retarded. Last week the hospital was accused of withholding treatment from a number of afflicted infants based on "quality of life" considerations, thus causing the death of 24 babies.

The charges, made by the National Legal Center for the Medically Dependent and Disabled and the American Civil Liberties Union, stem from a 1983 article in a medical journal that was written by four doctors involved. It said that all 36 babies selected for treatment survived, while 24 children who received no treatment died within six months. The criteria used to determine who should get treatment, according to the Legal Center, included the severity of illness as well as the anticipated "contribution" from home and society. The two groups claim that race and economic background were among the factors considered. Carlton is black, and many of the other children who died, according to an attorney for his family, were minorities. Hospital officials deny the allegations, arguing that all the infants were treated strictly according to their medical needs.