RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Treatment of defective newborns--a survey of paediatricians in Poland. JF Journal of Medical Ethics JO J Med Ethics FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Institute of Medical Ethics SP 11 OP 17 DO 10.1136/jme.14.1.11 VO 14 IS 1 A1 Z Szawarski A1 A TulczyƄski YR 1988 UL http://jme.bmj.com/content/14/1/11.abstract AB We report the results of a survey of the attitudes and practices of paediatricians in Warsaw, Poland, with respect to the treatment of infants born with severe handicaps. The results are compared with a similar survey conducted by Australian researchers (1). In the Polish medical community surveyed, unconditional respect for life is a dominant attitude. Our study has revealed a deeply-entrenched paternalistic attitude among Polish doctors and a strong unwillingness to distinguish between 'ordinary and extraordinary means' of prolonging life, as well as an ambivalent attitude towards legal regulations binding in Poland.