Parents have many responsibilities to their children. They need to provide them with basic necessities like food, shelter and clothing. They also have to make decisions that help a child develop into a healthy and functional adult.
Parents choose what religion their children practice and where they attend school. They also make decisions about children’s medical care. Those decisions may reflect a parent’s ethical values and religious beliefs.
When parents separate or divorce, they usually have to share the authority to make decisions about their children in addition to sharing parenting time. What happens if they disagree about the medical care that their children actually require?
Either parent can make emergency care choices
The division of decision-making authority usually results in joint decision-making power. However, each parent usually has the authority to make minor decisions and emergency decisions during their parenting time.
If there is a car crash that injures their child, the parent who has custody at that time may choose what hospital they take the child to and what care they receive. They may then need to communicate with the other parent about long-term recovery options, as both parents usually need to agree on decisions with long-lasting consequences.
Unfortunately, parents may not agree on issues ranging from what immunizations their children require to whether counseling is necessary for a child’s well-being. What if parents cannot agree on key medical decisions?
The courts can handle medical conflicts
In scenarios where parents truly cannot agree on what type of care is in the best interests of their children, they may need to go back to court. A judge can review the situation and may hear from both parents about their reasoning.
Judges can make a determination on a specific medical decision in some cases. Other times, they may opt to revise or modify the custody arrangements. A judge can potentially give one adult more decision-making authority than the other or give them the final say on medical decisions to help prevent disputes in the future.
Ideally, parents can discuss their perspectives and find ways to reach mutually agreeable decisions in a shared custody scenario. Yet, knowing what happens when parents cannot agree on medical matters can help those trying to resolve an issue and secure appropriate care for their children.
