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19 - Child abuse and neglect

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

By
Benjamin H. Levi
Edited by
Peter A. Singer  and
A. M. Viens
Benjamin H. Levi
Affiliation:
Associate Professor Penn State University, USA
Peter A. Singer
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
A. M. Viens
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
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Summary

A six-year-old girl and her older sister are brought by their father to be evaluated for a history of cough, runny nose, and low-grade fever. In addition to signs of a cold, the physician notes that the girl's nasal bridge is quite swollen and bruised. When asked what happened, she innocently shrugs her shoulders, and her father's only conjecture is that since she sleepwalks she might have bumped into something. The father sits impatiently, but as questioning progresses becomes increasingly defensive, at one point angrily declaring “we don't beat our kids, if that's what you're asking.” Further complicating the situation is information from several nurses that this family is “on the brink” both socially and financially, and that additional stress is likely “to blow this family apart.”

What is child abuse and neglect?

The term child abuse encompasses physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, and neglect –though the phrase “child abuse and neglect” is also common parlance. In its typical usage, child abuse refers to actions (or failures to act) by a parent or caregiver that result in serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or imminent risk of serious harm.

Why are ethical issues regarding child abuse and neglect important?

What could be more simple than the ethics of child abuse? For those who commit it, don't. For everyone else, do what you can to protect children from it.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Textbook of Bioethics , pp. 132 - 140
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

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