The Limits of Parental Authority

Johan C. Bester is the Director of Bioethics at UNLV School of Medicine. He also is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Education, and serves presently as Interim Assistant Dean for Biomedical Science Education. He completed medical training in South Africa, and practiced in family medicine and emergency medicine settings for 12 years all over the world, including in South Africa, Canada, and the United Kingdom. He then transitioned to a professional focus on bioethics and medical education, which included completing a Master’s degree and a PhD in Applied Ethics, and Clinical Ethics Fellowship training at Cleveland Clinic. Presently Johan teaches ethics, epidemiology, and evidence-based medicine to medical students and provides leadership to the Phase 1 MD curriculum at UNLV School of Medicine. He engages in active scholarship in the areas of pediatric ethics, vaccination ethics, systems issues in healthcare, and social justice. His work has been published in notable journals such as JAMA Pediatrics, The American Journal of Bioethics, The Journal of Medical Ethics, Bioethics, and Bioethical Inquiry. He spends his time thinking about a just society, how society can be made kinder, better, and more inclusive, and the implications of these questions for medical practice and medical systems.

1. The work of this book

2. Issues in medical decision-making for children: An illustration of the problem

3. Parental authority as individual liberty – a problematic assumption

4. Why parenting should be supported and regulated by society

5. The good of the child and the good of society

6. What society should guarantee for children – an account of childhood interests

7. Parenting as a social role – the nature and limits of parental authority

8. Practical implications – society’s obligations and society’s policies