Adolescents ought to have the right to make autonomous medical choices

Introduction Before I start with the case I’d like to formally thank Tejretics for instigating and agreeing to debate me on such an interesting topic. This has never been a topic that I’ve ever given much consideration and I’ve never actually had an opinion on before this debate topic was decided for the tournament. After some research I soon found my position on the issue which was as Pro which was good considering that I’d been given the position as Pro for the debate. I’ve been really busy with a load of work so I apologize for the delay in posting this round. Libertarian Framework The libertarian view on this issue is clear. The libertarian advocates the rights of the individual and the right for that individual to receive minimum restriction from the government and the state [1]. By preventing the adolescent from being allowed to make this decision the state is denying that adolescent their freedom of speech and their freedom of making a choice [2] and you are imposing restriction upon that person which is an evident violation of libertarianism [1]. Why do we ought to prioritize human rights and limit government restriction? Because all countries that have ever prioritized the countries needs before the country's rights has ended up in poverty and many have ended up on the list of the worst countries to visit or to live in, in the world [3][4]! The decision is evident, accept the libertarian framework which keeps the economy stable and enforces human rights or buy alternatives that don’t enforce the right to choice of adolescents and consequently give in to poverty. If you buy the libertarian framework, then you buy libertarianism, if you buy libertarianism then you ought to vote Pro based on this premise alone since under my libertarian framework adolescents ought to have the right to make autonomous medical decisions. Societies Acceptance Many major societies around the world accept adolescent’s rights to make autonomous medical decisions. In the US it is allowed in most cases [5], and they are considering changing it to all medical decisions at some point because this has been the demand of the public [6]. In the UK the system is slightly different. 18+ are allowed to completely make autonomous medical decisions for themselves (remember the definition is from 13 - 19), from 16 - 18 you are allowed to make the decision for themselves however the court has the right to overrule you if they think that it isn’t in your best interest. And from younger than 16 the doctor has to decide whether the child is mature enough to make the decision and if they are deemed mature enough then they are put into the above bracket [7]. This system has received criticism, however, and that criticism states that it is too strict [8]. In Judaism they believe that 13 year olds and onwards are considered to be adults and therefore must take on adult responsibilities [9]. Responsibilities include the responsibility of making autonomous medical decisions, therefore under the religion of Judaism, they would also support the notion that adolescents ought to have the right to make autonomous medical decisions. In the religion of Islam, they believe that the age of become an adult is around 12 - 15 years of age. Muslims would therefore most likely accept the resolution and affirm based on the fact that on average (from this data) we can conclude that the average age that a Muslim becomes an adults is 13.5 and therefore they should be allowed to make autonomous medical decisions because they have responsibility under the religion's teachings at (on average) slightly above the age of proposition [10]. You affirm if you believe that society's best interest should be considered and you negate if you believe that we should be allowed to completely ignore what the majority of the public say and what people want. Harms Inflicted Upon Society “It is neither developmentally appropriate nor practical to force a teenager to accept prolonged and invasive oncologic treatment against his or her will. As a teenager confronts further loss of control of major life decisions, noncompliance and potentially combative behaviors may occur. The anger is often directed at parents and the health care team who feel compelled to “take over” decision making in the best interest of the adolescent patient. Every effort to help a family resolve these internalized conflicts is a valuable part of the treatment plan.” [11] Controlling teens has been said by many as “impossible”. But what my opponent proposes is something that would force teens to be controlled. There is a good, scientific reason as to why teenagers try so persistently not to be controlled. It’s because without the control that they seek, they lose their sense of adulthood and the sense that they are gaining a sense of authority and respect [12], without it they often suffer from depression and various other mental illnesses in regards to their emotion. This is the result of denying individuals of this right. If this happens to whole countries then generations of teenagers could go into depression because they lose their sense of adulthood and authority which can stay with them for their entire lives[11][12][13]! Conclusion To conclude, I have provided strong and reliable evidence proving that adolescents ought to have the right to make autonomous medical decisions due to the fact that to say otherwise would be to violate libertarianism, go against society's will and to force adolescents into depression. Sorry for the brevity of this round, I’ve been very busy. The resolution is affirmed. Vote Pro! Sources [1] https://en.wikipedia.org... [2] https://www.mormon.org.uk... [3] http://www.voanews.com... [4] http://www.debate.org... [5] http://pediatrics.aappublications.org... [6] http://www.usnews.com... [7] http://www.medicalprotection.org... [8] http://www.law.leeds.ac.uk... [9] http://www.jewfaq.org... [10] http://www.questionsonislam.com... [11] http://journals.lww.com... [12] http://understandingteenagers.com.au... [13] http://www.mentalhealth.com...