Overview
- Presents a plausible theory of the moral equality of the child and discusses highly controversial bioethical cases
- Draws upon recent advances in childhood studies and its key feature, the ‘agentic child’, which, strangely enough, has been largely ignored in bioethics so far
- Uses an international approach borrowing what is best from national cultures and legislation
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
Part of the book series: International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine (LIME, volume 67)
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Table of contents (8 chapters)
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An Outline of the Debate on Moral Equality
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A Moral-Equality Approach to Childhood and Other Situations of Dependency
Keywords
- autonomy and trust of the child
- bioethics and the child
- child rights
- conceptions of parenthood
- education and moral self
- moral adultism
- moral equality
- moral status of the child
- natality and the concept of parenthood
- philosophy of change
- radical openness and radical determination
- the essence of parenthood
- the ethics of parenthood
- the stewardship model
- welfare rights of the child
About this book
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.
Reviews
“In an era of complicated pediatric bioethical dilemmas due to technological advances, this book is a meaningful contribution to the debate about how much decision-making power a child should have in his or her medical treatment. … it is clear that she intends to reach readers interested in pediatric bioethics. This would include … ethics students, pediatric fellows and physicians, and clinical ethicists.” (Jacob Harrison, Doody's Book Reviews, January, 2017)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Claudia Wiesemann is head of the department of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine at Goettingen University, Germany, and member of the German National Ethics Council. She studied medicine and philosophy and has been doing research in bioethics for more than 20 years. She directed several international research projects within the European Research Framework Program. Claudia Wiesemann is editor of the Journal “Ethik in der Medizin” and member of the International Network on Ethics of Family. Her interests are childhood ethics as well as the ethics of reproductive medicine and family.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Moral Equality, Bioethics, and the Child
Authors: Claudia Wiesemann
Series Title: International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32402-9
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-32400-5Published: 26 August 2016
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-81275-5Published: 11 June 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-32402-9Published: 18 August 2016
Series ISSN: 1567-8008
Series E-ISSN: 2351-955X
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: IX, 155
Topics: Ethics, Pediatrics