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During the health appointments of adolescents, ethical conflicting situations often occur because adolescence is a developmental life stage in which we progressively acquire biological, psychological and social maturity. The most relevant ethical questions are about secrecy and confidentiality, violence, contraception in girls younger than 15 years old, negligence, autonomy, work and informed consent in research. This article aims to reflect and discuss these situations in light of bioethics, deontological standards and pertinent laws, with the aim of assisting health professionals in making decisions that offer protection to adolescents.
Descriptors: adolescence; bioethical; medical ethics; autonomy; right to privacy
During the health appointments of adolescents, ethical conflicting situations often occur because adolescence is a developmental life stage in which we acquire progressive biological, psychological and social maturity. Relevant ethical questions are about: secrecy and confidentiality, violence, contraception in girls younger than 15 years old, negligence, autonomy, work and informed consent in research. The purpose of this paper is to be a reflection and a discussion of these situations under the point of view of bioethics, deontological norms and laws with the goal of helping health professionals make decisions that protect their adolescent clients.