Study Document
Minors and the Right of Assent Vs Consent in Health Care Essay
Pages:2 (673 words)
Sources:3
Subject:Ethics
Topic:Ethics In Healthcare
Document Type:Essay
Document:#77466891
Health Care and Minors
What are the pros and cons of having a court appointed guardian act on behalf of a minor child's healthcare interests?
The pros are that the interests of the child can be immediately and adequately served, as the case of Child C shows -- the patient was in need of blood work and the putative father and/or other parental guardian was nowhere to be found in order to give the necessary approval. The ability of the hospital to seek a court-appointed guardian is, legally speaking, what allowed the hospital to save the child's life. In such instances, when the parent or guardian is not acting responsibly or is not able to be reached, the hospital and the court may step in to ensure that the best interest of the child is maintained at all times.
The con of this arrangement is that there may be grounds for the child's condition and some outstanding religious or culture reason for why the parent or guardian would disapprove of a blood transfusion. Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, traditionally do not approve of blood transfusions and other religious entities hold similar perspectives on interventions of health care providers (DuBose, 2002). Indeed, there are ethical duties that a hospital owes to such clients, even if the hospital does not agree with the outlook or perspective of the client and there is a danger to the patient's health (Muramoto, 2001). For the hospital to go ahead and act in a manner that would contradict the beliefs or principles of the patient/guardian would be to violate the principle of respect for the patient/guardian that care takers are bound to observe. Thus, by not being able to communicate directly with the guardian, the water is muddied and the hospital has to act in what it believes to be the best manner according to what information is available to it. For this reason, having the court-appointed guardian is helpful but in terms of culture/religious respect for the client/guardian, it may result in unwanted stress and/or potential grounds for a suit later on.
4.Should minors have the same ability to actively and directly participate in their care as an adult would? Why or why not?
Minors should have the right to actively and directly participate in their care to the extent that they can communicate with health care providers information about themselves and their experiences and they…
Sample Source(s) Used
References
Bernat, J. (2008). Ethical Issues in Neurology. PA: Lippincott
DuBose, E. (2002). The Jehovah's Witness Tradition: Religious Beliefs and Healthcare
Decisions. The Park Ridge Center for the Study of Health, Faith and Ethics: 1-16.
Muramoto, O. (2001). Bioethical aspects of the recent changes in the policy of refusal of blood by Jehovah's Witnesses. BMJ, 322(7277): 37-39.
Related Documents
Study Document
Healthcare Legal Issues: Care and Treatment of
Healthcare Legal Issues: Care and Treatment of Minors The evolution of the hospital is a unique social phenomenon reflecting societal attitudes toward illness and the welfare of the individual and the group. Hospitals existed in antiquity, in Egypt and in India. After Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire, hospitals were built in Christian nations. Subsequently, after Islam arose, hospitals were built in Moslem countries as well. Regardless of
Study Document
Healthcare Providers and Treatment
employ the 6-step model described by Wagner and Toren in their article, for evaluating a particular healthcare scenario. Managers are in charge of ensuring and fostering an ethical and secure work atmosphere wherein nurses can deliver quality patient care. It is often stated in the nursing profession that the key duties of managers include taking care of patient needs and upholding their right to be delivered quality healthcare. This
Study Document
Right of Informed Refusal for Minors
End-of-Life Decision Making for Minors When the Minor Should be the Decision Maker
Today, the right of adults to refuse medical treatment when they feel it is not in their best interests is universally acknowledged, and physician-assisted suicide is even legal in nine states and the District of Columbia (Physician-assisted suicide, 2019). A growing number of health care providers are also maintaining that the right to refuse medical care extends
Study Document
Ethics of Informed Consent Ethical Dilemma: Imagine
Ethics of Informed Consent Ethical Dilemma: Imagine a psychologist treating a minor child depression minor cutting. Because child's parents divorced, obtained consent treat child father, custodial parent. The mother (noncustodial parent) calls involved son's treatment. Ethical dilemma: Treating a child of divorced patients One of the most difficult issues for a therapist regarding the treatment of minors is the question of confidentiality. "An important aspect of treatment is to foster an individual's autonomy,
Study Document
Teenage Breast Augmentation This Is
In the case of breast augmentation, the parent must guide the minor to the right decision -- and that is usually not to have the surgery unless it is necessary for the teen's overall health. It is up to the adult to think responsibly. There are dangers to any surgery and infections are not among the least of them. Perhaps low self-esteem is a reason for counseling by a
Study Document
Special Education - Inclusion the
In their study, "Thinking of Inclusion for All Special Needs Students: Better Think Again," Rasch and his colleagues (1994) report that, "The political argument in favor of inclusion is based on the assumption that the civil rights of students, as outlined in the 1954 decision handed down in Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down the concept of 'separate but equal,' can also be construed as applying to special