OA
Obstetrics & Gynecology: Current Research
Child vulnerability to public health problems. A bioethical approach
Authors: Manuel de Jesús Verdecia Tamayo Ph D*
Publication Year: 2026
Abstract
Child vulnerability in the context of public health problems constitutes a first-order ethical challenge requiring interdisciplinary analysis from bioethics. This article examines the structural, relational and dynamic dimensions of the vulnerability of children and adolescents facing health crises, adverse social determinants and climate emergencies. Through a review of scientific literature indexed in SCOPUS, four problematic axes are identified: the tension between emerging autonomy and paternalistic protection; distributive injustice in the allocation of health resources; the systematic exclusion of childhood in research and public policies; and the intergenerational dimension of environmental crises. It is concluded that child vulnerability should not be conceived as an inherent and immutable condition, but as a social and political construction that demands bioethical responses guided by the principles of justice, equity and participation.