Moral Equality, Bioethics, and the Child

Presenting real life cases from the 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. This position is defended against those who deny the moral§person-hood of children altogether. 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. Drawing upon recent advances in childhood§studies and its key feature, the 'agentic child', it lays the groundwork for a§theory of moral equality by examining the concepts of parenthood, family, best§interest, neglect, abuse, and paternalism 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 American scholars and makes use of a wide§range of ethical, psychological, cultural, and social-scientific research.§