Skip to main content
Journal of Medical Ethics logoLink to Journal of Medical Ethics
. 1993 Sep;19(3):142–147. doi: 10.1136/jme.19.3.142

Maturity of children to consent to medical research: the babysitter test.

G Koren 1, D B Carmeli 1, Y S Carmeli 1, R Haslam 1
PMCID: PMC1376281  PMID: 8230145

Abstract

The age of maturity of children to consent for medical research is under debate, as different authorities regard the capacity of young teenagers as either satisfactory or not to grant consent without parental participation in the process. The present paper contrasts the generally accepted guideline for ethics in paediatric research in Canada with what the same children are allowed and expected to be able to do as babysitters. This comparison reveals deep incongruences in the way the maturity of the same children is appreciated for two different tasks.

Full text

PDF
142

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ackerman T. F. Fooling ourselves with child autonomy and assent in nontherapeutic clinical research. Clin Res. 1979 Dec;27(5):345–348. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Burchell J. M. Non-therapeutic medical research on children. S Afr Law J. 1978 Jun;95(Pt 2):193–216. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Freedman B. A moral theory of informed consent. Hastings Cent Rep. 1975 Aug;5(4):32–39. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Janofsky J., Starfield B. Assessment of risk in research on children. J Pediatr. 1981 May;98(5):842–846. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(81)80865-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Lewis C. E., Lewis M. A., Ifekwunigue M. Informed consent by children and participation in an influenza vaccine trial. Am J Public Health. 1978 Nov;68(11):1079–1082. doi: 10.2105/ajph.68.11.1079. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Ramsey Paul. 'Unconsented touching' and the autonomy-absolute. IRB. 1980 Dec;2(10):9–10. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Schwartz A. H. Children's concepts of research hospitalization. N Engl J Med. 1972 Sep 21;287(12):589–592. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197209212871205. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Medical Ethics are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES