The Slow, Steady Development of Pediatric Ethics Committees, 1975-2013

have disclosed no financial relationships relevant to this article. This commentary does not contain a discussion of an unapproved/ investigative use of a commercial product/ device. During the last 30 years, most children’s hospitals in the United States have created pe-diatric ethics committees or other formal methods to address the ethical issues that arise in the clinical practice of tertiary care pediatrics. Ethics committees or consultants are called on to advise physicians, nurses, other health care professionals, and parents in cases that raise controversial ethical issues. They take many forms and use many different processes to identify and resolve ethical dilemmas.