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Managing ethically questionable parental requests: Growth suppression and manipulation of puberty
Isaacs, David Tobin, Bernadette Hamblin, Julie Slaytor, Emma Donaghue, Kim C. Munns, Craig Kilham, Henry A.
Isaacs, David
Tobin, Bernadette
Hamblin, Julie
Slaytor, Emma
Donaghue, Kim C.
Munns, Craig
Kilham, Henry A.
Abstract
Doctors sometimes struggle with ethically challenging requests for treatment from children’s parents. For instance, we have recently had two requests by parents of children, a girl and a boy, each with a severe developmental disability, for hormonal therapy to suppress growth and puberty: the girl’s parents requested, in addition, hysterectomy and mastectomy. We propose a reliable approach to assessing the ethical and legal aspects of these and other requests for ‘non-therapeutic’ treatment of a minor who lacks the capacity to give informed consent. We argue that a doctor should first assess whether the request is one that he or she can, in conscience, accede to, and then, if it is, seek the authorisation of a court. We outline considerations relevant to the doctor’s assessment of both the ethical issues and to the need for court authorisation.
Keywords
Date
2011
Type
Journal article
Journal
Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
Book
Volume
47
Issue
9
Page Range
581-584
Article Number
ACU Department
Plunkett Centre for Ethics
Faculty of Theology and Philosophy
Faculty of Theology and Philosophy
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
File Access
Controlled