EPISODE · Jan 5, 2023 · 40 MIN
The Battle for Justina Pelletier
from Crime Writers On... · host Partners in Crime Media
Justina Pelletier was a 14-year-old girl diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that required numerous surgeries and caused severe pain. When she was taken to Boston Children’s Hospital, doctors suspected Justina’s issues were psychological and not physical - and they suspected her parents were committing medical child abuse.Over the next 16 months, the Pelletiers used the media and threats of litigation to apply pressure on the hospital and the state to discharge their daughter. But administrators said these hardball tactics made it impossible to get Justina care at other facilities, further harming her prognosis.The Peacock documentary series “The Battle for Justina Pelletier” looks at the very public tug-of-war between parents and physicians convinced they’re doing the best thing for a sick child, as well as the exploits of a computer hacker who came to her cause. It also explores the thornier question of what Justina’s medical issues truly were and how that affected the adults’ decisions.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE BATTLE FOR JUSTINA PELLETIER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 7 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Justina Pelletier was a 14-year-old girl diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that required numerous surgeries and caused severe pain. When she was taken to Boston Children’s Hospital, doctors suspected Justina’s issues were psychological and not physical - and they suspected her parents were committing medical child abuse. Over the next 16 months, the Pelletiers used the media and threats of litigation to apply pressure on the hospital and the state to discharge their daughter. But administrators said these hardball tactics made it impossible to get Justina care at other facilities, further harming her prognosis. The Peacock documentary series “The Battle for Justina Pelletier” looks at the very public tug-of-war between parents and physicians convinced they’re doing the best thing for a sick child, as well as the exploits of a computer hacker who came to her cause. It also explores the thornier question of what Justina’s medical issues truly were and how that affected the adults’ decisions.
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The Battle for Justina Pelletier
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