The Ethics, Limits, and Potential Harm of Naming Names

A NICU team is taking care of a 34 week old male admitted with hypoxia and hypothermia, complications of prematurity. On day of life 2, however, the mother and father decide to name their child “Krystal Meth,” because that was what they “were high on” when the child was conceived. Consultation with social work does not convince the family to change their minds, and the team is reluctant to consult the ethics committee. The naming of children has been an ethically neutral one, a process …