Health Care Decisions For Children - 3396 Words

Executive Summary Introduction: When it comes to health care decisions for children, who have the final say? What are the ideas and institutions that support and challenge a parent’s decision to refuse medical treatment on behalf of their child? These questions are of special importance in situations where the decision involves great risk to the health and wellbeing of the child. This brief relies on the important ideas and institutions, which both support and challenge parental right to refuse treatment on behalf of their children to analyze the current political climate regarding parental authority for refusal of medical treatment. Analysis: Ideas and institutions exist in Canadian society, which both support and challenge the issue.†¦show more content†¦Conclusion: Parents play a vital role in the upbringing of their children and have the responsibility to make important decisions on their behalf. Ideas and Institutions have placed important limitations on parental authority when th e child is determined to be in need of protection. Introduction The decision making process for patients has evolved in recent years from a process based on physician paternalism to an activity based on individual autonomy. Autonomy has been defined as the decision-making freedom of the individual by basing on his or her own values (1). As patients are more involved in medical decision-making concerning their health and wellbeing so too are parents for their children (1). Minors are generally considered incompetent to make legal-binding decisions in regards to health care decisions (1). As such, parents are given the power to make decisions on their behalf. In cases where parents decide to forgo treatment for their children, complex ethical, legal, cultural, and spiritual factors must often be taken into account. The complexity of these occurrences highlights the important implications on a healthcare decision-making perspective but as well as a broader societal perspective. This brief will assess key ideas and institutions that support and cha llenge the decision