Moral Equality, Bioethics, and the Child

Abstract

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.