Summary
Contents
Subject index
The authors of this volume provide discussion on vital issues related to the rights of children in the United States, including: the historical and contextual perspective on the rights of children; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; the differing views on children's rights and competencies; and the rights of children within the family, the social service system, the health care system, the educational system, the juvenile justice system and in employment.
Chapter 7: Being Patient with Patients: The Rights of Children in the Health Care System
Being Patient with Patients: The Rights of Children in the Health Care System
Asking children for their opinions about and input into treatment decisions is an idea whose time has come.
Eight-year-old “Alice” faced the prospect of undergoing organ transplantation, a procedure she already had endured once. She refused the second operation, electing instead to go home and spend her remaining days with her family. In time, without the potentially life-saving operation, Alice died (Franklin, 1994).
Should such a young patient have been permitted to make a life-or-death decision? Does an 8-year-old child have the right to consent to or refuse medical treatment? Can such a young child give truly informed ...
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