The ethical issue involved, is knowing when is it okay to perform bariatric surgery on an adolescent patient. The surgeons have to weigh out the risks vs the benefits. Unfortunately, there is little known about the long term effects of bariatric surgery on teenagers. There could be many complications from noncompliance to malabsorption effects on growth.
The ethical principles of concern are beneficence and nonmaleficence. When pertaining to nonmaleficence, health care providers have an obligation to avoid any actions that could hurt patients. Adolescent can be vulnerable on their decision making