AIMS This study assessed parent knowledge of newborn screening (NBS) and parent attitudes toward NBS for untreatable conditions, NBS for late-onset disorders and informed consent in NBS. METHODS Seventeen qualitative focus groups were held in Alaska, California, Hawaii, and Washington with mothers of children 10 years old or younger. RESULTS Most participants did not recall receiving inform...

The Supreme Court's use of empirical behavioral science data has grown dramatically in the 40 years since Brown v. Board of Education. Most of these data are submitted in amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs submitted by parties with an interest in the outcome of the significant mental health law cases coming before the court. The increasing use of such briefs raises important questions. ...

Neurosurgeons and psychiatrists who favor psychosurgery sometimes show dismay that anyone would accuse them of harboring political aims, and it is true that the average psychosurgeon has little or no interest in the application of his technology to overtly political problems. But it is equally true that several of the nation's leading psychosurgeons have persistently linked their work to the co...

Scholars have shown that nonviolent movements tend to be more successful than violent movements. A key explanation is a mobilization advantage over campaigns. As lower barriers active participation, they can expand quickly by mobilizing much larger numbers We argue such not universal, and different are likely comparative in one tactic another. develop simple model emphasizing how the ex ante po...

Many public policy problems pose a sequential series of occasions for decision to policy makers. Not infrequently a prior decision results in negative feedback indicating the effects of previous actions are not as expected. How do policy makers respond to indications of a failed course of action? Escalation of Commitment theory suggests that for multiple reasons, the policy makers are often lik...

OBJECTS With the advent of genetic technologies, many genetic/metabolic disorders can be detected asymptomatically but might be untreatable, and the benefits and risks of screening for them are not fully known. The purpose of this study is to explore current practice with regard to the parental consent process in newborn screening (NBS). DESIGN Staff in 23 obstetric clinics/hospitals that con...

Objects: With the advent of genetic technologies, many genetic/metabolic disorders can be detected asymptomatically but might be untreatable, and the benefits and risks of screening for them are not fully known. The purpose of this study is to explore current practice with regard to the parental consent process in newborn screening (NBS). Design: Staff in 23 obstetric clinics/hospitals that con...

Grounded on the ethical principle of respect for persons, parental permission and child assent function together to protect the child and to foster the development of the child's self-determination. Although both parental permission and child assent involve the same components of information sharing, comprehension, and voluntariness, how these three components are understood and operationalized...