ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the ethical base of current childhood screening programmes, which are amongst the oldest of the screening programmes currently provided by the UK National Health Service. Some of the problems raised are similar to those of neonatal and adult screening programmes, others are unique. The most important ethical problem with these programmes is that the process of identifying the benefits and harms is complicated and incomplete, but this information is not communicated to parents. Parents may therefore make the decision to bring their children for screening on the basis of false assumptions. Some of the reasons why the value of these programmes has not been challenged until the late 1980s are explored together with some potential solutions to improving the ethical base of future programmes.
