A baby is born with anencephaly, or absence of the entire brain above   the brainstem. The brainstem is intact, which means that the baby can   breathe and have a heartbeat and blood pressure, but there is no   chance for any human brain function or cognition, due to this birth   defect. The health care team begins to educate the mother, since   children with this deficit generally die shortly after birth. However,   the mother is devoutly religious, and her minister has told her that   if she prays hard enough to God, that God will work a miracle and her   baby’s brain will heal itself. She is insistent that all possible care   be given to her baby, including a months-long stay in the ICU,   constant care by a caregiver, regular brain scans, and other expensive   modalities. The hospital, finding her adamant, asks the court for   guardianship of the baby, with the medical plan to provide only   maintenance care with no life-prolonging techniques until the baby   dies. What are the ethical issues are involved? How do the principles   of autonomy, beneficence, nonmalfeasance, and justice manifest   themselves? If you were called as an ethical consultant, what would   you do/recommend?

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