In the Matter of Francis J. Fosmire, as Executive Vice-President of Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center v…

Summary

The New York Court of Appeals affirmed the Appellate Division’s order vacating the ex parte order authorizing blood transfusions, holding that a competent adult’s common‑law right to refuse medical treatment is not overridden by any State interest in this case, even though the patient is a parent. The Court emphasized due‑process requirements for notice and a hearing and found no statutory or compelling State interest to justify the forced transfusion.