Reasons to Amplify the Role of Parental Permission in Pediatric Treatment

American Journal of Bioethics 17 (11):6-14 (2017)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Two new documents from the Committee on Bioethics of the American Academy of Pediatrics expand the terrain for parental decision making, suggesting that pediatricians may override only those parental requests that cross a harm threshold. These new documents introduce a broader set of considerations in favor of parental authority in pediatric care than previous AAP documents have embraced. While we find this to be a positive move, we argue that the 2016 AAP positions actually understate the importance of informed and voluntary parental involvement in pediatric decision making. This article provides a more expansive account of the value of parental permission. In particular, we suggest that an expansive role for parental permission may reveal facts and values relevant to their child's treatment, encourage resistance to suboptimal default practices, improve adherence to treatment, nurture children's autonomy, and promote the interests of other family members.

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 103,486

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Can Families Have Interests?Rosalind McDougall - 2017 - American Journal of Bioethics 17 (11):27-29.
Parental agency in pediatric palliative care.Marta Szabat - forthcoming - Nursing Inquiry:e12594.

Analytics

Added to PP
2017-11-21

Downloads
55 (#409,745)

6 months
1 (#1,572,794)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author Profiles

Mark Christopher Navin
Oakland University
Jason Adam Wasserman
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine