ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and U.S. pediatric bioethicists

摘要

In exploring the relationship between "child rights" and "pediatric bioethics" and how these disciplines might provide mutual support in advancing the health and wellness of children around the world, our article responds to the questions of whether the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) could be of any benefit in the United States, the only country that has not yet ratified this international treaty, and whether the CRC has any value for addressing clinical pediatric bioethics' questions. We describe the considerable influence that the United States had in developing significant components of the CRC, and we argue that the CRC may be useful for U.S. pediatric bioethicists as a tool to advance children's health policy. We note that ratification of the CRC does not equate with compliance or success. Lastly, we identify a distinction between the use of the term "best interests" by child rights advocates and its use by clinical pediatric bioethicists.