Children as Research Subjects

Is using children as research subjects ever justified? Arethere limits to such use? Does the fact that children aremedically and psychosocially different from adults haveimplications for research? What can we learn from thehistory of the use and abuse of children as researchsubjects? Do parents have the authority to volunteer theirchildren for research projects? How should childrenparticipate in the decision to be involved in research? Howshould research risks be assessed and balanced?^LThese perplexing questions and others are addressed by adistinguished group of experts in the field of biomedicaland behavioral research with children. This book adopts anintegrated multidisciplinary approach which uses scienceethics and law as guides for exploring these most difficultissues. The tension between acquiring important newknowledge and fulfilling the obligation to protect childrenfrom exploitation and harm is a recurring theme.As the first book to be devoted solely to the scienceethics and law of research with children it is anindispensable resource to physicians psychologistseducators lawyers ethicists Institutional Review Boardmembers child advocates and others involved in performingor reviewing research with children.