Doctors should always ask for a child’s consent before treating them, and they should apologise when they proceed against the child’s objections, argues a new commentary.

In the editorial in Pediatrics, aimed at paediatricians, the authors make a case for strengthening guidelines on paediatrics assent, while acknowledging the ethical debate is not new.

In its latest statement on paediatric assent in 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says doctors are “obliged to act out of fundamental respect for other persons by virtue of their personal autonomy”.

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