Everyone's Child

Jason på 15 har brug for et nyt hjerte, men han vil hellere dø end drage nytte af lægemidler, der er udviklet ved hjælp af dyreforsøg. Jason's forældre er desperate efter at redde deres søn, men Jason ønsker ikke at blive opereret. Jason er stadig mindreårig, så han kan ikke selv få lov at træffe beslutningen. Den må dommer John Deed træffe - og det bliver en af de sværeste i hans karriere.

Deed has to give judgement in a court battle between a child and his parents. Jason Powell (who is represented by Jo Mills) has heart disease, and the doctors say his only hope of life is in a heart transplant - but he refuses to agree to the operation. His parents want the court to rule against an interim injunction supporting Jason, who clearly understands the risks he faces and who has a good legal case to decide for himself. His parents, Mel and Andy, plead for the heart transplant, and Deed lifts the injunction... but then Jason dies on the operating table, after spending his last moments pleading with the surgeons not to go against his wishes... Meanwhile, Deed's own life is running no more smoothly. Both he and Jo are accused of serious misconduct when she spends the night in his chambers...