It’s apparently (and hopefully) on its last legs. The COVID-19 pandemic was the most recent health issue to raise questions around the government’s involvement (or interference) in an individual’s control over their own medical treatment.

In their article – Government Involvement in Medical Care Decisions During Outbreaks of Disease: How Far is Too Far? – our guests wrote about the intersection of law and medicine. They reviewed medical mandates, implications brought about by the impact of advances in science and medicine, and where the role of government to protect public health intersects (or collides) with personal healthcare choices. They focused is on governmental responses to the pandemic, that is, what the government can mandate in the spirit of public health, and not on the separate issue of abortion, which is a “choice” subject for another day.

How much authority do government agencies or even the courts have over a person’s healthcare decisions? People often assume the practice of medicine and the enactment and enforcement of laws are separate and independent enterprises; that they remain fixed in their respective corners. However, they wrote, after a deeper dive into history and precedent, it’s evident that the tension between individual rights and health-related mandates has existed for some time.

Listen to my interview with the authors, Bryce McCloskey and  Sandra M. Cianflone, with Hall Booth Smith, P.C. Bryce is based in Jacksonville, Fla., where he focuses on medical malpractice and professional liability law. Sandie is a partner in the firm’s Atlanta office, where she concentrates on a variety of aspects of healthcare defense. She chairs the firm’s Coronavirus Task Force and is a member of the firm’s National Trial Counsel team. She is also a valued member of the Editorial Board of Advisors of the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation.

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Tom Hagy
Litigation Enthusiast and
Host of the Emerging Litigation Podcast
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FILED UNDER: Environmental + Climate | MassTorts + Class Actions​​
TAGS: Compliance | Emerging Litigation & Risk | Healthcare | Medical Malpractice | Professional Liability