Adolescents ought to have the right to make autonomous medical choices.

Contention 1: Ignoring Adolescent Autonomy harms soceity. One of the key issues we have here is when we force adolescents to do something. When forcing them to take a life-changing procedure one can see that this issue would cause them to rebel and harm others. [1] This is often aimed at parents, doctors, and/or even the medical team. This, as an immidiate affect, could purpose such a harm to the point to where substantially injuries may occur from this act of force against Adolescents. You may ask yourself what is the solution to such a task outside of strapping the child down and forcing him to do something. The answer is simply allowing him to make choices for himself and in order to see if that is a viable situation and value one must first test it with Immanuel Kant's Categorical Imperitives testing. This involeves Universalizability and Reversability. [2]Universalizability is how would it affect society if it was applied to everyone. We can see that, as I'll show throughout this debate, that on a universal scale that if all Adolescents have Autonomy and were able to make their own choices soceity would be better off. Now this doesn't mean that if they want to they can go and kill people as that would be a violation of the Categorical Imperitives and the argument wouldn't be able to stand. Next is Reversability, remember a few years back when you were an Adolescent. We all hated it when we were constantly told what to do, but loved it when we got some freedoms even though they came with responsibilities. As Adolescents we loved it and since we accepted it as Adolescents it can thus be accepted as a Reversable law. Finially we must observe Kant's Kingdom of Ends. [3] Here Kant argues that no one human must be used as a Means to an end, but only as Ends in the Kingdom of Ends. Thus you cannot use people to do something for you or do something that makes people do something, like remove a kidney if they don't want to, in order to reach a betterment of the whole or for another ends. For example, say the USFG institues a manditory Organ Harvesting program. It would be breaking the Kingdom of Ends by using people to get to an ends. Thus it shouldn't be accepted as it violates the Kingdom of Ends. Adolescent Autonomy keeps the Kingdom of Ends and keeps up with Kant's Categorical Imperitives and would thus have to be maintained as the Societial norms. Now you are probably still frantically worrying about how do we help the Adolescents get live saving surgery if they do not want it. The answer is very simple and still follows Kant, keeping the Kingdom of Ends, is through conseling. One cannot force another into making a choice as it would violate the Kingdom of Ends, but one must discuss with the other individual, because they are both Rational beings and must be treated as such. When it came to Bone marrow transplant to treat Leukemia, 96% of patients reported better life improvement, 40% no disability, and 33% minimal disability. [1] There was a great deal of lives extended and a great deal of happiness provided to these individuals, because they were able to make their own choices and were shown how it would benefit them. A key part of this decision making is being able to make an informed choice, because if they do not have the information it can still be concidered as a forced choice since they are not awear of everything that is goin on. In order for them to make a rational informed choice they must:1. Be informed of their choices: harms and benefits, as well as alternatives.2. Be Voluntary, free from coercion.3. Be competant. [4]Contention 2: A Just Government recognizes and Respects Adolescent Autonomy. Above I have given the Piaget Adolscent model for Cognative thought. This study has been commenced in the 1950's and has lasted for a great deal of time. We can see that starting at age 12, which is even before the adolescent age grouping. That the Adolescents are able to think for themselves and have abstract thoughts that are needed for this type of task. [4] We can thus see that they are mentally able to preform such a decision making task. The UN Rights of Child has convened severla times and has repeatively shown that children should be able to express how they feel and are able to think for themselves. [5] We can see that there is a growing accepting of Adolescent Autonomy, so why shouldn't the US fallow suit with what the rest of the world has acknowledged for the past 30 years? One of the greatest oppossitons to my point of view is that of the parents knowing best. I agree to an extent. We can see that studies have shown that Adolescents and parents tend to come to an agreeance on these things when regarding medical decissions. With the Adolescents respecting and many times agreeing with their parents we can see that granting this would not be a varriation from the status quo, but only give more individual freedom to those out there. The same study shown that when asked both parents and adolescents came to an agreeance that the age of which they can begin to make decissions for themselves was around age 14. [6]The Law also upholds this portion as well. In 1883, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that "who is neither a lunatic, idiot nor insane and who has arrived at 14 years of age" should be held responsible in cases of tort. [5] Jefferson Brianson was held liable for what he did despite being only 14. With that law we can even see that the law recognizes them as repsonable and thus the resolution stands in my favor. Sources1. ( “Challenging Case: Adolescence—Decision Making about Medical Care in an Adolescent with a Life-Threatening Illness” Pediatrics Vol. 107.4: p. 980)2. ( . http://www.zeepedia.com...) 3. (. http://plato.stanford.edu...) 4. (“Involving Children and Adolescents in Medical Decision Making: Developmental and Clinical Considerations. ” Journal of Pediatric Psychology. Vol. 21.4: p. 506-507) 5. (Rhonda Gay [J. D. , Ph. D. ] “Adolescent Autonomy: Clarifying an Ageless Conundrum” Hastings Law Journal 51 Hastings L. G. 1256. August 2000. ) 6. (. http://apt.rcpsych.org...)