Dilemma and Reflection on Children Exercising the Right of Medical Decision-making / 中国医学伦理学

ABSTRACT

Whether children can exercise their medical decision-making power has always been a controversial topic in law and ethics, and it is also the focus of attention of people from all walks of life. In this regard, combined with the problems existing in the exercise of children’s medical decision-making power, such as conflict with the right to life and health, insufficient guarantee of the right to informed consent system, and the legal guardian’s exercise of children’s medical decision-making power may not be in the best interests of children. This paper discussed the dilemma and feasibility of children’s exercise of medical decision-making power from three aspects: children’s right to life and health, the evaluation of informed consent and medical decision-making ability, and the thinking of children’s informed consent and medical decision-making ability, and pointed out that children who are able to make self-determination should be fully endowed with legal medical decision-making power, so as to ensure their best interests in medical clinic.