| Popis: |
[ This chapter reviews the relevance of the UN 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and particularly the so-called participation rights, to premature babies and their care. It is illustrated with examples drawn from a study of four neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The chapter presents the background on human and children's rights, on research about childhood, babies and participation, and on the neonatal research study. Examples from the study illustrate how participation rights relate to premature babies. The chapter concludes that respect for babies' participation rights is feasible, immediate, integral and indispensable to adequate neonatal care, and that babies' rights justify and validate high standards of care. Keywords:babies' rights; neonatal intensive care units (NICU); participation rights; premature babies; UNCRC , This chapter aims to move beyond the vague generalisations, analytical confusion (Ignatieff 2003) and rhetoric that often characterise the calls and implementation of such an approach with respect to children's health and identify some of its key underlying features. It is an attempt to respond to the observation of Darrow and Thomas that the 'continued credibility of rights based approaches demands a higher degree of conceptual rigour and clarity than has prevailed in the past.' The core standard in a rights based approach to children's health is the right to the highest attainable standard of health which is enshrined in article 24(1) of the Convention, a goal which is often considered to be so ill defined and aspirational that it is readily dismissed. Keywords:article 24(1); children's health ] |
