Should Adolescents Make Autonomous Medical Choices?

Freedom, in itself, is a basic human right. Without freedom, you cannot pursue life as it was meant to be lived. Adolescents, no matter what age, race, or gender, should have the freedom to choose the way they live out their days autonomously. Therefore, I believe that adolescents should have the right to make autonomous medical choices if they are mature enough and can understand the consequences of the decision about to be made.
“Freedom is a sacred and inalienable right that all human beings possess. It is the power to act according to its will, while respecting the law and the rights of others” (Humanium). As minors, we are presumed to be incompetent and unable to make the correct decisions for ourselves. By the time children become adolescents, they are able to comprehend and have mature conversations about their wishes for end of
life care similar to that of an adult. Not only do adolescents have the right to be a part of the decision, they actually want to be included in the process. Pediatric patients would be much more comfortable with their care and health care providers if they were able to have a say in what exactly is going on. After all, it is them that is going to be going through all the treatments. “Parental authority to make medical decisions for their children is also based upon a general, legal presumption that parents will act in the best interests of their children” (Derish). In a parents eyes, the best interest would be for their child to stay alive by whatever means possible, even if that requires having them suffer to get better. What if the pain and agony from the side effects of the treatments prove to be worse than the illness itself? Life is not worth living if you are in a constant state of pain and depression. It is often a struggle for health care providers to incorporate adolescent patients into the decisions of end of life care.
Physicians, as well as parents, don’t always let the pediatric patient into the discussion. “Ethical and legal issues arise from the fact that many terminally ill adolescents, less than 18 years of age lack ordinary legal authority to make binding medical decisions, (including discontinuation of their treatment), yet they meet functional criteria for having the competence to do so” (Freyer). If the physician thinks that the minor is mature enough to understand their medical condition and can express their wishes, it is the physician’s ethical obligation to honor it. This in turn could cause severe legal issues for the physician by going against what the parents think is right for their child. On the other hand, if the physician carries out the parent’s wishes, they would have to ignore their ethical obligation to the patient. This makes the decision easier for both the physician and the parent to leave the adolescent out of the conversation which in turn, gives the patient little to no say in what they
want. The choices we make while we are still adolescents could potentially affect us for the rest of our lives. A patient, regardless of age, should have the right to know and actively participate in the medical treatments and decisions that are going to be made following the diagnosis. We cannot spend our whole lives letting others make decision for us or we will never learn to be on our own. The younger we learn to make our own decisions, the more we can facilitate situations and face them head on. It is a mature adolescent’s legal right to have the freedom to make their own autonomous medical decisions on their own accord.