The treatment decisions of competent adults, especially treatment refu
sals, are generally respected. In the case of miners something turns o
n their age, and older miners ought increasingly to make their own dec
isions. On the other hand, parents decide on behalf of infants and you
ng children, Their right to do so can best be justified in terms of th
e importance of preserving intimate family relationships, rather than
in terms of the child's best interests, although the child's best inte
rests will most often follow from this arrangement. Nevertheless, ther
e are and ought to be legal, ethical, and financial constraints on par
ental decision making.