Children and Biobanks: A Case for Reflexivity

Abstract Large-scale biobanking, or what Camben-Thomsen (2003) calls – ‘Biobank-omics’, has become a marked trend within the biomedical field. Biobanks have achieved great popularity within epidemiological studies, due to their temporal framework, which is longitudinal and prospective in nature. The purpose of this is to examine gene-disease correlations with the environment, through the inspection of medical and lifestyle information with biological data. However, the inclusion of children within epidemiological studies has raised, Ethical, Legal and Social Issues (ELSI), particularly concerning their competency to consent to participation. This article explores such issues when viewed from the perspective of children, whilst drawing attention to the social constructiveness of concepts central to the child’s decisional power.