Introduction According to the Guttmacher Report on Public Policy, current laws in the United States of America indicate that minors under the age of eighteen, unless medically emancipated, must have medical consent from the parent or parents before any health care decisions can be made (Boonstra & Nash, 2000). These laws do not include health-sensitive medical care such as contraceptive prescriptions, fetal abortion, pregnancy care, or drug addiction rehabilitation. Pediatric nurses are in a unique position serving as a facilitator of patient care and patient care decision making between the pediatric patient and their parents. In this position, pediatric nurses immerse themselves in the concept of family-centered care and, for this reason, often find themselves in situations fraught with ethical dilemmas. In healthcare, there are often times when the medical team and the patient disagree on the treatment plan, but in pediatric healthcare the situation becomes even more complex. This is because there are times when the decision made by the parents is deemed inappropriate by the healthcare team. What do you do if, as a caregiver, you disagree with the decisions made for your patient by the surrogate decision maker? It can be assumed that in most cases parents only want the best for their children. Research shows, however, that parents are not always the best voice for their grieving child, especially as the child nears the end of life. Is it ethical for the healthcare team to assume the role of decision maker when there is a disagreement about the pediatric patient's treatment path? This article will further examine this ethical dilemma, including why it is an important issue... middle of paper ......series episode sion]. In 60 minutes. New York City: Steve Kroft. Cummings, C. L., & Mecurio, M. R. (2011). Autonomy, beneficence, and the rights of parents and children: Exploring the application of ethical principles in pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics Bioethics Resident Curriculum: Care-Based Teaching Guides. Retrieved from http://www2.aap.org/sections/bioethics/PDFs/Curriculum_Session10.pdfMcGowan, C. M. (2011). Legal issues. Legal aspects of end-of-life care. Critical Care Nursing, 31(5), 64-69. doi:10.4037/ccn2011550Stringer, S. (2013). Moral choices in children's end-of-life care. Cancer Nursing Practice, 12(7), 27-32.Wier, R.F., & Peters, C. (2004). Affirm the decisions adolescents make about life and death (pp.166-172). In C. Levine (Ed.), Taking a Stand: Conflicting Views on Controversial Bioethical Issues (10th ed.). Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill