The conundrum of children in the US health care system

One area in which children's rights are rarely considered in the USA is tha t of autonomy over their bodies. This right is routinely ignored in the are na of health care decision making. Children are routinely excluded from exp ressing their opinions involving medical decisions that affect them. This a rticle discusses the complex reasons why children's voices are typically no t heard in the USA, the consequences of their disempowerment, and the ethic al obligations of health care providers to advocate for the rights of child ren, even in the absence of a legal mandate to do so.