Parents (of minors) are not surrogates: acknowledging (finally) the unique moral space of parents.

Abstract

A common conflation happens both in everyday discussions in medicine as well as in the medical literature-namely, equating 'parents of minors' with 'surrogate decision makers.' It is important for pediatric clinicians and ethicists to stop using language that confuses and obscures the important difference between surrogates and parents in ways that affect the ethics of decision-making for minors. Specifically, parents of minor children are morally different than surrogates, and by using surrogate language, a misunderstanding arises that distorts the moral space and relevant obligations that pediatric providers, parents of minors, and even pediatric patients find themselves in when making medical decisions.