Moral equality, bioethics, and the child / Claudia Wiesemann.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wiesemann, Claudia, 1958- author.

Series:

International library of ethics, law, and the new medicine ; v. 67.

International library of ethics, law, and the new medicine ; volume 67

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Children's rights.

Parent and child--Moral and ethical aspects.

Parent and child.

Equality--Moral and ethical aspects.

Equality.

Bioethics.

Medical ethics.

Physical Description:

ix, 155 pages ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Switzerland : Springer, [2016]

Summary:

Presenting real life cases from clinical practice, this book claims that children can be conceived of as moral equals without ignoring the fact that they still are children and in need of strong family relationships. Drawing upon recent advances in childhood studies and its key feature, the 'agentic child', it uncovers the ideology of adultism which has seeped into much what has been written about childhood ethics. However, this book also critically examines those positions that do accord moral equality to children but on grounds not strong enough to support their claim. It lays the groundwork for a theory of moral equality by assessing the concepts of parenthood, family, best interest, paternalism, and, above all, autonomy and trust which are so important in envisioning what we owe the child. It does not only show how children - like adults - should be considered moral agents from infancy but also how ethical theories addressing adults can significantly profit from recognizing this. The analysis takes into account contributions from European as well as American scholars and makes use of a wide range of ethical, psychological, cultural, and social-scientific research.

Contents:

Part I. An outline of the debate on moral equality

Introduction

The debate about moral equality

Part II. The theoretical framework of a moral-equality approach

Natality

Trust

Family

Autonomy

Part III. A moral-equality approach to childhood and other stiuations of dependency

The dialectic of trust and autonomy

Basic concepts for clinical practice.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9783319324005

3319324004

OCLC:

944473415