Minors And The Medical Decision Making - 1841 Words

Minors rights in medical decision making As we grow up, we hear it time and time again... â€Å"When you’re an adult you can do whatever you want.† We heard it when were driving our parents crazy about wanting to grow up just a little too fast. We are taught that in the eye of the law, we must wait until we hit our eighteenth birthday to do things like play the lottery, to move out, to vote, or to go to a club. We must be nineteen to buy cigarettes, 21 to drink alcohol, 25 to rent a car, but when we thing aout it more deeply and zoom in closer on the criminal justice system we see minors differently. In fact, According to legal experts the youngest person in modern U.S. history to be charged as an adult with first-degree murder was only 11 yeas old at the time he was sentenced (http://www.loyno.edu/~wagues/article19.html). That same eleven year old that will not get out of prison until he is a grown man, if at all, would not be able to consent to non-emergency medical care. A general practitioner in a non-eme rgency situation could not treat him without a parent or guardian giving the go-ahead. . It is important to first identify what rights that minors do have when it comes to their medical decisions and care. In every state, statutes regarding minor’s permission to consent for medical care depends on the child’sâ€Å"status,† or on the â€Å"service† that they are seeking. Status in which a minor under the age of 18 can consent to medical care include cases in which a minor may beShow MoreRelatedEssay On Redefining The Age Of Medical Decisions To 211369 Words   |  6 Pagesadult to make decisions for ones health, whether they decide to get a surgery, treatment, or medicine or not. Although someone younger than eighteen has no say in their medical decisions that needs to be redefined to an individual starting at the age of sixteen is allowed to make their own decisions regarding things such as treatments, surgeries, and medicines. Because it is unfair for someone else to make those types of decisions, if the minor thinks differently about the d ecision, it is essentialRead MoreThe Importance Of Medical Treatment998 Words   |  4 PagesWhen cancer treatment becomes no longer curative judgements and decisions need to be made on how to proceed with care. Clinicians balance the principles autonomy, beneficence and nonmaleficence in designing a care plan and patients, as autonomous beings, can make informed decisions based on information presented. But what happens when that patient is a minor (a person under the age of eighteen) who no longer wishes to continue with treatment? At what age does an adolescent demonstrate the cognitiveRead MoreAre Minors Intelligent Enough For Understand The Consequences Of Not Getting Cancer Treatment?1137 Words   |  5 PagesEH 102 09 March 2015 I Understand Are minors intelligent enough to understand the consequences of not getting cancer treatment? It is thought that patients have the right to refuse treatments. Depending on age, this thought is true. For instance, the refusal of an adult will always be heard. But if a teenager refuses cancer treatment, their decision will probably go unheard. Teenagers are depicted in society as being hormonal and make many bad decisions. This stereotype is not limited only toRead MoreThe Health Of The Adolescent1602 Words   |  7 Pagesthe most. The same goes for how they handle their medical situations. When they are just going in for a yearly checkup, a vaccine, or a common illness, most teenagers have no problem sharing the information with their parents to ensure that they are well taken care of. Also, teens typically rely on their parents to make these appointments for them, or transport them to and from the doctor’s office. 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Danforth1174 Words   |  5 Pagesthat the constitutional protection against unjustified state intrusion into the process of deciding whether or not to bear a child extends to pregnant minors, minors’ abortion rights have been circumscribed by parental notification and consent requirements. Early Supreme Court preced ent like Danforth and Bellotti v. Baird justified circumscribing minors’ abortion rights in this way by appealing to the particular vulnerability of children, the importance of the parent-child relationship, and—most notablyRead MoreThe Mature Minor Doctrine: A Case Analysis1563 Words   |  6 Pagesmature minor doctrine to determine his own wellbeing. However, that does mean the physicians needed his consent. Since, his parents had cared for George throughout his life, they had the right to subsequently accept or neglect care. The doctrine, which in many states is now law, states that minors can give consent to medical procedures if they can show that they are mature enough to make a decision on their own. For example, the statute in Arkansas states the following, any emancipated minor of sufficientRead MoreApplying Ethical Frameworks in Practice - 1 Essay1237 Words   |  5 Pagesethical theory, the alternatives to breaching confidentiality using the framework of e thical decision making and the role of the ethics committees. Ethical Implications of a Breach of Confidentiality A confidentiality breach is when patient information is disclosed to a party that is not a direct part of the patients’ healthcare team without obtaining the appropriate patient consent (American Medical Association, 2012). It is important for the nurse to maintain confidentiality to gain the patientsRead MoreThe Competence Of A Patient1330 Words   |  6 Pagesto make decisions on his own without the consent of outsiders such as nurses, doctors, or other caregivers. Outsiders may attempt to influence the decisions of an autonomous person; it is essential that patients are allowed to make well informed decisions without approval from others. Although autonomy means having freedom of choice, there are limits to those choices. For example, if a patient is requesting anything illegal or unsafe, caregivers do not have to honor his request. Decisions relatingRead MoreThe Ethical Problems Of The Models Of Autonomy And Discipleship1393 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Ethical problems present conflicts of the models of autonomy and beneficence. Adolescents as well as minors present a particular complication, which is struggling with autonomy. Healthcare providers are torn between their own moral codes that may lack consistency in their actions and opinions. The prescription or act of seeking out contraception or birth control is taken as an example of a common ethical dilemma. According to Duvall, â€Å"Adolescence is a complicated period of emotional