■ Both the legality and ethics of involving non-consenting children in non-therapeutic research are issues of substance
■ Children's involvement in non-therapeutic research may serve the utilitarian good, but what of the individual child's rights to protection and not to be put at risk?
■ Non-therapeutic research is probably legal and may be ethical if children are able to provide and are asked to give their own informed consent
■ There is a need to build a more complete picture of the development in children's decision-making competence over time as it relates to their involvement in non- therapeutic research
Abramovitch R., Freedman J., Thoden K., Nikolich C. (1991). Children's capacity to consent to participation in psychological research: empirical findings. Child Development;62: 1100-1109.
2.
Alderson P. (1992). In the genes or in the stars? Children's competence to consent. Journal of Medical Ethics and Law;18: 119-124.
3.
British Medical Association. (1993). Medical ethics today: its practice and philosophy. London : BMJ Publishing Group.
4.
Everson-Bates S. (1988). Research involving children: ethical dilemmas and considerations. Journal of Pediatric Health Care;2: 234-239.
5.
Frankel M. (1978). Sotial, legal and political responses to ethical issues in the use of children as experimental subjects. Journal of Social Issues;34: 101-113.
6.
Freedman B., Fuks A., Weijer C. (1993). In loco parentis: minimal risk as an ethical threshold for research upon children. Hastings Center Report: March/April 13-19.
7.
Holder A. (1988). Constraints on experimentation: protecting children to death. Yale Law and Policy Review; 6: 137-149.
8.
Jolley J. (1995). Forging the way ahead: obtaining consent for paediatric nursing research. Child Health;2: 202-206.
9.
Lee L. ( 1991). Ethical issues related to research involving children . Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing;8: 24-29.
10.
McLean S. (1992). Medical experimentation with children. Internationallournal of Law and the Family;6: 52-71.
11.
Medical Research Council. (1991). The ethical conduct of research on children. London: MRC.
12.
Nicholson R. (1986) Medical research with children: ethics, law and practice. Oxford: Oxford Medical Publications.
13.
Royal College of Nursing. (1993). Ethics related to nursing research. London: RCN.
14.
Royal College of Physicians. (1990). Research involving patients. London: RCP.
15.
Thompson R. (1990). Vulnerability in research: a developmental perspective on research risk. Child Development;61: 1-16.
16.
United Nations (1989). The Convention on the Rights of the Child. Geneva: Defence for Children International and the United Nations Children's Fund. JCHC
