Chapter 6. Rights Discourse, Children, And Bioethics

Abstract

This chapter deconstructs the concept of rights in an effort to adjust it to the particular status of children. The argument advanced is that traditional bodily practices are integral to ones culture and, hence, also fall within the scope of his or her cultural rights. In the context of children, the argument has to be understood in light of their rights to cultural identity. The chapter looks at the concepts of culture, cultural rights, and cultural identity, and highlights some of the problems associated with their analysis. Examining leading scholastic theories on the issue, the chapter shows the role identity plays in the childrens exercise of their rights and ties it to childrens bioethics. It also discusses some of the scholarship concerning the childs cultural identity, as well as the address of the Monitoring Committee under the Childrens Convention (Childrens Committee or Committee).Keywords: childrens bioethics; Childrens Convention; cultural identity; cultural rights