Chapitre 9. Some proposals for researching the ethical implications of social interventions with adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to outline a proposal for the ethical evaluation of different social intervention processes geared to the adolescent population in the sphere of sexuality and reproduction. The author recognizes the complexity of defining the contents of an evaluation based on an acknowledgment of the rights of the individuals at whom these intervention processes are aimed, also taking into account that this is a population considered to be minors and, therefore, is viewed as requiring tutelage from adults.
For that reason, this article proposes to review two models of ethical analysis, with special reference to the limitations associated with the first of these, which has been widely used in different national and international contexts. Said model is centered on the values of autonomy, justice, and beneficence, while the second one includes personhood, equity, respect for bodily integrity, and the recognition of diversity as central elements. The author discusses the assumptions of each of these models and the resources that have been distinguished for implementing them, especially as regards populations recognized as vulnerable.
The main thrust of the article is a systematization of the components of an ethical analysis in which the following are important: the reference to actors who define norms, the assumptions underlying those norms, and the way in which the individuals who are actually affected by said norms are taken into account. It strives to reconsider some elements of these two models for ethical analysis, but specifically as regards the case of adolescents and the meaning that human rights for adolescents have. The article concludes with a list of questions to be worked with in order to “fine-tune” an ethical evaluation of social interventions aimed at this population.