Every day patients rush into the emergency room due to various medical reasons. Some may have just experienced a severe car accident while others may be facing a battle with cancer. Whatever the case may be, if the patient is a competent adult, then he or she is legally and ethically empowered to make health care decisions for themselves. However, this is not the circumstance for adolescents, who range from ages 10 to 19.¬1 Since most people base their decisions on values, personal experiences, religious beliefs, quality of life, and economic consequences, it is often questioned whether or not adolescents should have the right to make these decisions for themselves. Overall, adolescents have achieved a degree of emotional and intellectual maturity
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The answer is simple; they are too young to understand the consequences. Cigarettes and alcohol are factors that affect the body, as do the medical decisions that are made in severe situations. Both have serious repercussions that adolescents are sometimes unaware of. However, health care decisions are much more serious and have a larger impact on a child’s life. Laws are created to prevent minors from acquiring the same rights as adults. An example of this, is how the education and labor committee of the US House of Representatives, has child labor laws that require children to have parental consent to work.3 This goes for health care decisions as well, which is why parents are responsible for making health related decisions for their child. Parental guidance is truly fundamental for an adolescent’s well-being. As mentioned earlier, parents not only have experience to help guide an adolescent’s health care, but they also provide assistance through the use of insurance and finances. Many minors lack the capital necessary for health care, even if they were granted the autonomy to make their own decisions. Parents are essential to ensure that their child makes the proper decision for their health, while also paying for the resultant health care
The answer is simple; they are too young to understand the consequences. Cigarettes and alcohol are factors that affect the body, as do the medical decisions that are made in severe situations. Both have serious repercussions that adolescents are sometimes unaware of. However, health care decisions are much more serious and have a larger impact on a child’s life. Laws are created to prevent minors from acquiring the same rights as adults. An example of this, is how the education and labor committee of the US House of Representatives, has child labor laws that require children to have parental consent to work.3 This goes for health care decisions as well, which is why parents are responsible for making health related decisions for their child. Parental guidance is truly fundamental for an adolescent’s well-being. As mentioned earlier, parents not only have experience to help guide an adolescent’s health care, but they also provide assistance through the use of insurance and finances. Many minors lack the capital necessary for health care, even if they were granted the autonomy to make their own decisions. Parents are essential to ensure that their child makes the proper decision for their health, while also paying for the resultant health care