American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statements on Bioethics: Summaries and Commentaries: Part 3

Mark R. Mercurio, MD, MA* 2. Mary B. Adam, MD, MA* 3. Edwin N. Forman, MD* 4. Rosalind Ekman Ladd, PhD* 5. Lainie Friedman Ross, MD, PhD* 6. Tomas J. Silber, MD, MAAS* 1. *On behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Bioethics The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a strong and longstanding interest in the field of bioethics and periodically publishes policy statements pertaining to specific ethical questions relevant to pediatrics. The subjects addressed cover a wide range of topics, from parental refusal of immunization to the care of critically ill children. These policies are authored initially by the AAP's Committee on Bioethics and undergo extensive internal review by other committees prior to publication. This article is the first in a series of three intended to familiarize readers with many of the AAP policies currently in place that address issues in bioethics. In this series, 16 policies published by the AAP are summarized, each followed by a brief commentary. The commentaries are intended to address, at least on a cursory level, some of the ethical principles underlying the policies. Some briefly point out possible alternative viewpoints. The policies referenced in this article represent the efforts of various committees and committee members over the years. Each of the summaries presented here, as well as the commentaries that follow, represents the work of individuals serving on the Executive Committee of the Section on Bioethics, as indicated at the beginning of each summary. Understandably, some of the wording of these summaries is taken directly from the published policies. When quotations are used within a summary and not referenced, it can be assumed that the quote is taken directly from the policy being summarized. For ease of use, the references for each policy are provided with each individual summary and commentary. Part 1 of this series reviews: 1. Informed Consent, Parental Permission, and Assent in Pediatric Practice 2. Religious Objections to Medical Care 3. Responding to Parental Refusals of Immunization of Children 4. Sterilization of Minors With Developmental Disabilities 5. Human Embryo Research Part 2 …