Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2011 Aug;121(8):1800-4.
doi: 10.1002/lary.21886.

The right not to hear: the ethics of parental refusal of hearing rehabilitation

Serena Byrd  1 , Andrew G Shuman, Sharon Kileny, Paul R Kileny
Affiliations
Case Reports

The right not to hear: the ethics of parental refusal of hearing rehabilitation

Serena Byrd et al. Laryngoscope. 2011 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: To explore the ethics of parental refusal of auditory-oral hearing rehabilitation.

Study design: Case study with medical ethical discussion and review.

Methods: Two young brothers present with severe-to-profound congenital sensorineural hearing loss. The parents, both of whom have normal hearing and work as sign language interpreters, have decided to raise their children with American Sign Language as their only form of communication. They have chosen not to pursue cochlear implantation nor support the use of hearing aids.

Discussion: This case raises significant questions concerning whether hearing rehabilitation should be mandated, and if there are circumstances in which parental preferences should be questioned or overridden with regard to this issue. In addition, legal concerns may be raised regarding the possible need to file a report with Child Protective Services. Although similar cases involving the Deaf community have historically favored parental rights to forego hearing rehabilitation with either cochlear implantation or hearing aids, we explore whether conclusions should be different because the parents in this case are not hearing impaired.

Conclusions: The ethics of parental rights to refuse hearing rehabilitation are complex and strikingly context-dependent. A comprehensive appreciation of the medical, practical, and legal issues is crucial prior to intervening in such challenging situations.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial interests, disclosures, conflicts of interest or sources of funding regarding the content of this original manuscript.

References

    1. Lane H, Bahan B. Ethics of cochlear implantation in young children: A review and reply from a Deaf-World perspective. Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg. 1998;119(4):297–313. - PubMed
    1. [Accessed January 17, 2011];National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Cochlear Implants. Available from: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/coch.asp.
    1. [Accessed January 17, 2011];American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Available at: http://www.entnet.org/practice/Guidelines.cfm.
    1. Niparko JK, Tobey EA, Thal DJ, Eisenberg LS, et al. Spoken Language Development in Children Following Cochlear Implantation. JAMA. 2010;303(15):1498–1506. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kileny PR, Zwolan TA, Ashbaugh C. The influence of age at implantation on performance with a cochlear implant in children. Otol Neurotol. 2001;22(1):42–46. - PubMed

Publication types