This was a very interesting article concerning the rights of
children, specifically in the context of research. Children’s’ rights were
officially stated in the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) in
1989. Most UN countries have signed and
ratified it; however the USA has only signed it. This surprised me, as rights are very
important to Americans. The CRC does not
specifically talk about research, however many associations have based their
policies regarding research on children on the CRC.
How do the rights of a child differ from those of an adult?
One of the biggest differences is that children are not old enough to make
official decisions on their own. Thus children cannot give informed consent for
research. This makes it much easier to exploit a child “for the good of society”,
if their guardian agrees to the research, than an adult. Thus, to protect children from mistreatment, only
the potential benefits to the child are considered when determining if the
research is worth the risks. On the other hand, the potential benefits to
society as a whole are considered when evaluating the viability of research on
an adult. This protects children;
however it also provides a large barrier to the progression of technological benefits
for children. In addition, this leads to
more research being done on sick individuals and those with disabilities. I don’t think this is right as it doesn’t seem
to be treating kids equally but rather targets those who have more to
gain. The progression of technological
advancements is potentially much more important for those with disabilities
than for those without. As 90% of kids
with disabilities in developing countries drop out of school (this includes
people with bad eyesight who can’t get glasses), research needs to be done to
reduce that number and help limit the effect of those disabilities on their
lives. I can’t think of a good solution.
I understand the current policy and agree with the extra protection
provided for children, but I am not sure how to minimize the negative effects
of such a position. What do you think?
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