Mrs. Keith
English 2 Honors
18 March 2013
Age Of Responsibility
Responsibility can be defined morally, legally or mentally, but What Is The Age Of Responsibility? Most countries consider 18 to be the legal adult age;however, government laws don’t consist properly. There are many legal age differences between the legal drinking age to the driving age limit. Adolescents rushing to become adult have pushed the government reconsider the age of responsibility. Therefore, 21 is the age of responsibility taking account: decision making, impulse control and maturity.
To begin with, the age of responsibility is defined by a persons decision making. Poor decisions at times lead teenagers to more dangerous/complicated situations. Also, poor decision making such as having unprotected sex lead to pregnancy and which later lead to teen abortions. Although abortion is legal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, some countries requires parental consent or intervention by a judge (“Teen Abortion Statistics”). Study shows that college students drinking decisions contribute to 17,000 deaths, 599,000 injuries, and 97,000 cases of sexual assaults (“Choose Responsibility”). Teens law breaking rates and binge drinking show teenagers underestimation of dangerous situations that can cause a terrible chain reaction. More than 5 million children living today will die prematurely because of a decision they will make as adolescents (“Statistics on Teens”). Although most teenagers prefer making decisions alone, their decisions are fragmented and with little knowledge. Therefore, in the final analysis, 21 year olds are more capable of committing rational decisions.
Additionally, Impulse control is a significant impact on teenagers socially and physically. Most adolescents act before they think and experience : the thrill factor, peer influence, lack of reasoning and inimal future orientation. Study shows that adults are more capable than teenagers to activate a