This conviction seems, in my view, to indicate that a somewhat profound cultural shift has occurred in contemporary American society.  This leads us to ask many fascinating sociological questions, such as:

• Are parents *required* to do what doctors prescribe – all of the time, or only some of the time?  And what if the doctors are wrong?  What if the parents are wrong? 
• Are doctors replacing parents as the decision-making authorities for children in our culture?
• What rights do parents have to make decisions about their children’s care? 
• Can one person make a medical decision for another?  Where do we draw the line, culturally-speaking?

Regardless your personal viewpoint about this specific Massachusetts case, it does raise some tricky, tricky questions that certainly have far-reaching societal impacts.