Ethical Issues in Using Children in Medical Research

Running head: ETHICAL ISSUES IN USING CHILDREN IN MEDICAL RESEARCH
ETHICAL ISSUES IN USING CHILDREN IN MEDICAL RESEARCH
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1ETHICAL ISSUES IN USING CHILDREN IN MEDICAL RESEARCH
ETHICAL ISSUES IN USING CHILDREN IN MEDICAL RESEARCH
An editorial published in the July 2016 aims to obtain more support for clinical trials in
children (Nature.com, 2017). As per this story the US lawmakers should be given to test
pediatric cancer therapies on children. This paper will discuss the ethical dilemmas that may
arise on using children as the participants of a clinical trial. The paper will also focus on the
possible ethical considerations that have to be considered while using children as participants.
Children often have to accept treatment that is known to work in adults. In order to
improve the clinical care of the children, most of the trials need to be focused on the children's
health with the goal of developing medicines and treatments suitable for the children
(Lutchenberg et al.2015). This requires clinical trials involving children, as effect of a clinical
trial on children might not be the same as it has on adults. Medical researches involving children
is for the benefit of children. Clinical trials can lead to innovations in healthcare that can be
immensely beneficial to the children. Clinical experiments involving children can lead to better
outcome such as it can lead to the discovery of a drug for a rare pediatrics diseases or it can also
reveal the ways to prevent the incurable genetic disorders (Phelan and Kinsella 2013). Clinical
trials using children can have beneficial impact on the gene therapy, gene transplantation, cancer
treatment and several more (Powell et al.2012).
The Medical research council supports, that the parents of the children should be
encouraged and supported in a positive and an ethical manner to let their wards to become the
participants of the clinical trials. The children should only be used after the consent of the
parents. Sometimes it can be seen that the parents are not properly informed regarding the pros

2ETHICAL ISSUES IN USING CHILDREN IN MEDICAL RESEARCH
and cons of the clinical trials. This might directly contradict the ethics of human rights as clinical
trials cannot always guarantee successful outcomes (Lutchenberg et al.2015). Clinical outcomes
can even deteriorate the condition of a child and can even cause death. Sometimes the
researchers make false promises to the parents that the experiment would help to cure diseases in
their child (Pocock 2013). There are some potential risks involving clinical trials like some
clinical trials may require less time an effort from the participants whereas other participants may
involve pain and discomfort. The intervention of the research might not be effective for a
particular group of participants; the clinical trial can sometimes become life threatening side
effects. Participation in the trial can involve hospital admissions, intake of high dosage of drugs.
Hence forth while considering the risks of a clinical trial a person might consider the time that
can occur, the seriousness of the harm, and the probability of causing harm. As stated by Botkin
et al. (2015), if there lies a conflict between the interest if the participant and the society, the
interest of the participants should prevail over science and society. The authenticity of the
clinical study should be evaluated and its effect on the environment should always be measured.
In some of the cases there is an absence of balance between risks and benefits. It is necessary
that the researchers obtain a voluntary consent from the participants and the family. It is
necessary that an independent ethics research committee approves the research proposal (Pocock
2013).
Researches involving children should only be carried out if the experiment cannot be
performed on the adults or if the disease in specific for children such as Kawasaki's disease.
According to Phelan and Kinsella (2013), there are certain ethical considerations that need to be
considered while working with children is that the tests should only involve competent children.
If a child is found to be upset or depressed by a method then it should be considered as a refusal

3ETHICAL ISSUES IN USING CHILDREN IN MEDICAL RESEARCH
from the child's side. It is extremely important to involve the parents in the decision making
process. It should be noted that children and their parents appreciate some recognition in case the
experiment turns out to be successful (Phelan and Kinsella 2013).
Hence it can be concluded that it is important to use children in medical research only if
the relevant knowledge cannot be gained through the adults, it is approved by an appropriate
ethics committee and if the participant (if competent) has given the consent to participate.

4ETHICAL ISSUES IN USING CHILDREN IN MEDICAL RESEARCH
References
Botkin, J.R., Belmont, J.W., Berg, J.S., Berkman, B.E., Bombard, Y., Holm, I.A., Levy, H.P.,
Ormond, K.E., Saal, H.M., Spinner, N.B. and Wilfond, B.S., 2015. Points to consider: ethical,
legal, and psychosocial implications of genetic testing in children and adolescents. The American
Journal of Human Genetics, 97(1), pp.6-21.
Luchtenberg, M., Maeckelberghe, E., Locock, L., Powell, L. and Verhagen, A.E., 2015. Young
people's experiences of participation in clinical trials: Reasons for taking part. The American
Journal of Bioethics, 15(11), pp.3-13.
Nature.com. (2017).[online] Available at:
https://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/1.20331!/menu/main/topColumns/topLeftColumn/pdf/
535465b.pdf [Accessed 18 Nov. 2017].
Phelan, S.K. and Kinsella, E.A., 2013. Picture this... safety, dignity, and voice—Ethical research
with children: Practical considerations for the reflexive researcher. Qualitative inquiry, 19(2),
pp.81-90.
Pocock, S.J., 2013. Clinical trials: a practical approach. John Wiley & Sons.P.P 254
Powell, M.A., Fitzgerald, R.M., Taylor, N. and Graham, A., 2012. International literature review:
Ethical issues in undertaking research with children and young people.