Futile or Fruitful? Institutional Conscience and Values Pluralism in Pediatric Care.
The article focuses on the ethical challenges of institutional conscience claims in pediatric care, particularly regarding refusals of life-sustaining treatment for neurologically devastated children. It argues that rigid, rules-based institutional policies risk undermining respectful dialogue with...
| Publicado en: | American Journal of Bioethics Vol. 26; no. 7; pp. 80 - 83 |
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| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | commentary Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Jul2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=194782896&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 194782896 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 15265161 FKZ jtl: American Journal of Bioethics issn: 15265161 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jul2026 vid: 26 iid: 7 pid: 377 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania artinfo: ui: 194782896 194782896 194782896 10.1080/15265161.2026.2675914 194782896 ppf: 80 ppct: 3 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Futile or Fruitful? Institutional Conscience and Values Pluralism in Pediatric Care. aug: au: Weaver, Meaghann S. Walter, Jennifer K. affil: St Jude Children's Research Hospital sug: subj: Organizational Culture Health Facility Administration Conscience Patient Rights Unconsciousness Pediatric Care Cultural Diversity Hardiness Case Studies ab: The article focuses on the ethical challenges of institutional conscience claims in pediatric care, particularly regarding refusals of life-sustaining treatment for neurologically devastated children. It argues that rigid, rules-based institutional policies risk undermining respectful dialogue with families, especially those from minoritized or marginalized backgrounds, and may erode parental authority and relational autonomy—a concept emphasizing the interconnectedness of decision-making within family and care relationships. Through two pediatric case examples, the article advocates for time-limited trials, interdisciplinary review, and culturally sensitive, values-based discussions that acknowledge prognostic uncertainty and diverse conceptions of a "good life." It concludes that fostering mutual respect and pluralism in healthcare decisions better supports families and protects vulnerable pediatric patients than categorical institutional refusals grounded solely in institutional conscience. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: commentary Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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