... way of doing this, especially if other ethical considerations, such as religion, are ignored? Finally the term child will also need to be looked at, for while it may be simple to quote a legal definition to determine who is and is not a child the application of this in reality is regrettably not so simple. Before looking at consent in relation to children it is useful to gain a general perspective on the subject. The principal of giving consent to treatment can be seen as important for a number of reasons. If you look to the ideals behind medical practice, those such as beneficence, non-malfeasance and in particular respect for patients autonomy, the patient's right to consent, and conversely to refuse treatment, goes a long way to support those principals, especially that of autonomy. It is also important from the point of view of the medical establishment and the ...

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