Children\u27s Choices or Children\u27s Interests: Which Do their Rights Protect?

DOI:10.1093/0199242682.003.0004 The often‐posed dichotomy between the interest and choice theory of rights can obfuscate a proper understanding of children\u27s rights. We need a gradualist model in which the grounds for attributing rights to a being change in response to the development of autonomy. Rights for children initially function to protect their interests but, as they develop into full‐fledged autonomous choosers, rights function to ensure that their choices, even those that do not serve their welfare, are respected. Keywords: autonomy, choice theory, development, interest theory, rights, welfar