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Involving children in non-therapeutic research: on the development argument

Linus Broström1, Mats Johansson

  • 1Department of Medical Ethics, Lund University, BMC I12, 221 84, Lund, Sweden.

Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy
|May 22, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Research involving children poses ethical dilemmas, particularly when it offers no direct medical benefit. Arguments that such non-therapeutic studies aid moral development are currently underdeveloped and unconvincing.

Area of Science:

  • Bioethics
  • Pediatric Research Ethics

Background:

  • Non-therapeutic research on children presents significant ethical challenges.
  • Children cannot provide informed consent for research participation.
  • Such research often involves risks or discomfort without direct medical benefit to participants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically evaluate the ethical justification of non-therapeutic research in children.
  • To address the argument that participation in such research indirectly benefits children by fostering moral development.

Main Methods:

  • Ethical analysis of existing arguments concerning non-therapeutic pediatric research.
  • Critique of the claim that moral development constitutes a sufficient indirect benefit.

Main Results:

  • The ethical concerns regarding the instrumentalization of children in non-therapeutic research remain significant.
  • The argument that non-therapeutic research promotes children's moral development is considered underdeveloped.

Conclusions:

  • The current ethical frameworks struggle to adequately address the complexities of non-therapeutic research involving children.
  • Further development of ethical arguments is required to justify such research, beyond speculative indirect benefits like moral development.

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