Do you think kids deserve a right to know why they have treatments?

18 Comments

I know by law what a child feels does not matter. I know a doctor can do whatever a parent lets them do by law. I want to know though do you believe a child at least has a right to know why they are doing the treatment? If a kid asks "Why do they want my blood"? or "Why do I need this shot"? Should they tell the child? If they give them a shot and the kids ask should they not at least be obligated to say "Its a measles shot".

No you are worthless as a child 3
Yes they do 35
No since by law they do not need to know 0
You should always be told as a child 28
Kids do not matter ever 1
Kids are too dumb to be told why 11
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Comments ( 18 )
  • Short4Words
    11 years ago | pl

    Without a doubt they should be told, especially in a way that they understand.

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  • kelili
    11 years ago

    Actually kids are stronger than adults when facing illness. I think that they have the right to know

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  • Otaku
    11 years ago

    Kids should have a right to know.Truthfully they're smarter than adults in many cases.

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  • NeuroNeptunian
    11 years ago

    I think that children have a right to know these things.
    It would almost be considered torture to force an adult to undergo treatments without even telling them what they are for or why they are getting them except for in circumstances in which the adult is incapable of understanding (car accident trauma, etc.).

    I don't think that children should be conditioned to believe that ignorance is OK.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      11 years ago

      Well they often don't. They just demand the child does what they wish without giving them a reason. I started to wonder why do you have to wait till adult hood to be given the right to know why they are testing you? It does not seem right or fair to children. We have the rights why don't they?(Thank you for your well thought out comment)

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      • NeuroNeptunian
        11 years ago

        Well, one of the reasons why they don't have the same "rights" as an adult is because children typically don't have the same capacity to make decisions as an adult does.

        However, I still believe that children who ask about what is going into or being done to their bodies should be given a decent and comprehensive answer. One can't expect a child to understand the mechanisms of a flu shot or exactly what is being done to the blood being drawn for them but most children can understand "They are giving you medicine to help keep you from getting the flu" or "They are testing your blood to make sure that you are healthy".

        There are so many people taking pills that don't know what is does to their bodies and I don't think that children should be conditioned to not at least question what is going into theirs by being forced into ignorance. It teaches them to accept helplessness and ignorance and with the way modern medicine is now, ignorance is the LAST thing children need to be taught is OK.

        To not at least attempt to help them understand is pure laziness on the part of the adult.

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  • frist
    11 years ago

    Kids understand a surprising amount if we take the trouble to explain in appropriate language what's going on. They can co-operate with their treatment rather than fight it; which many will if it is painful or tastes disgusting, etc. Even a child who can't speak yet can choose to swallow medicine that tastes vile because it will help them, I've seen this first hand.
    They are definitely not too dumb.

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  • Cul-de-sac_Nightmare
    11 years ago

    They are people. That's right, human fucking beings who DESERVE to know if they have a health problem.

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  • howaminotmyself
    11 years ago

    Kids deserve the truth. They are curious by nature and depending on how complicated the situation is, they should be given the facts. But it probably isn't wise to read of a list of all potential side effects to a drug you have given them. That information isn't always helpful to give adults, let alone children.

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  • KeddersPrincess
    11 years ago

    When I was a kid, I didn't really care why I got a shot, I just knew I didn't like them. I don't think that there is anything wrong with telling the kid why they are getting their treatment, but if the kid doesn't seem to care why, there's no reason to tell them.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      11 years ago

      I meant if they ask.

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      • KeddersPrincess
        11 years ago

        Oh, yeah. It's fine to tell them if they ask.

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  • Terence_the_viking
    11 years ago

    Shhh they might hear you.

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  • dinz
    11 years ago

    I would say yes in general but in some cases, the psychological aspect (if negative) can affect the recovering process.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      11 years ago

      I think it does more psychological damage not telling them for in a childs mind they will just see you are hurting them for no reason. In addition learn to fear parents and hospitals as well as leaving them with damaging trust issues.

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      • dinz
        11 years ago

        Again I would say it would depend on the situation and especially the child is.

        Keeping it simple and reinforcing the message that doing something like this make them better is enough.

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        • Anonymous Post Author
          11 years ago

          So what if they have cancer? What if the kid needs to go weekly from lab to lab and no one will tell them whats going on? You think they are not going to be terrified and after this very distrustful?

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          • dinz
            11 years ago

            Well obviously explaining to them that they are unwell and they need to make these visits to a medical centre on a daily basis is enough.

            But I'm saying going into all that medicine jargon can confuse a child in an already traumatic situation. We need to take into consideration of the psychological affects it could have on a child.

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