Adolescents Should Be Allowed In High School

As Albert Einstein once said, “The only source of knowledge is experience.” Seeing that I agree with Einstein, I stand in firm negation of today's resolution which states Resolved: Adolescents ought to have the right to make autonomous medical choices. For simplicity in the debate today, I would like to give the following definition from the Black’s Law Dictionary: Adolescence is the age which follows puberty and precedes the age of majority. It commences for males at 14, and for females at 12 year completed. The Oxford Advanced Learner’s dictionary says that the word ought is used to indicate a desirable or expected state. Autonomous, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, is having the freedom to act independently. The negative will support the value of paternalism, which as defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, is the interference of a state or an individual with another person, against their will, and defended or motivated by a claim that the person interfered with will be better off or protected from harm. The value of paternalism will be defended with the criterion of knowledge and experience.

Imagine if you were told you couldn’t go somewhere or do something because of a stereotype put on you. That is pretty much what is happening to some teenagers. Munchy’s restaurant has decided to ban teenagers because of the way they act. Businesses should not have the right to ban teens as, teens bring them money, it is violating their rights, and it gives them choices.

Many define adolescence as the transition period from puberty to legal adulthood where one is in the process of maturing. “This transitional period can bring up issues of independence and self-identity,” according to Psychology Today (“Adolescence”). Adolescents are usually classified to be between the ages of 14 and 18 and traditionally regarded as “minors” by law. “Minors, as a group, are legally disabled, meaning they are presumed to lack the skills necessary for capable decision-making” (Rhonda). Adolescents are unable to make rational decisions due to the Prefrontal Cortex not fully being developed, emotional responses and other factors which may cause potential societal harms as well as risks to the minors. Adolescents should not have the right to make autonomous medical choices.

In late February 2016, a recent debate among Canadian politicians arose on whether mature minors have the right to access doctor-assisted suicide within Canada. In Canadian Paediatric Society1 article, it explains how the government has a three-year deadline in order to create new legislation. However, the the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) believes that this three-year deadline Is not enough time to “gather adequate and appropriate information” on whether this practice should be allowed to be extended to minors under the age of 18. Currently, the CPS believes that it will be very hard to develop any data the experience of physician-assisted deaths among adults, within the next 3 years. The CPS stated that “Without that data, and a great deal of other information, it is premature to set a deadline for enacting legislation” (2016). The CBC brought up valuable points to the cause, firstly that age is ‘arbitrary’. Dr. Smith stated in the CBC article that there are some people who are 21, while there are those that are 14, and have the maturity to give consent, he went on to explain that he feels that this topic should go to even younger children. Later in the article Conservative MP Mike Cooper said that this was “illogical” and that those not old enough to vote should not have the right to choose if they live or die. The CBC went on to reiterate what the CPS article was about, saying that with such little data on the subject, and with two very distinct sides to this ethical

your teen’s computer/television time. And paying attention to them. You need to be continuously making sure your kids are not drinking, smoking or any other tobacco use, or doing any other drugs. When your kids go to play outside, make sure you know who they are going to hang out with, and make sure you trust their friends, and your kid as well. You need to teach your kid how to say “no”. You can let your kid play video games and use the internet. But make sure they are not in their bedroom. If they are in there bedroom, it will make the brain want to use them all night. If they are not getting enough sleep, it can lead them to depression, and have trouble getting up in the morning for school. Which is bad because about 28% of kids fall asleep

Steinberg explained that “Asynchrony in brain development during adolescence” (Steinberg & Scott, “Less Guilty by Reason of Adolescence: Developmental Immaturity, Diminished Responsibility, and the Juvenile Death Penalty,” 2003)” is that certain processes occur/develop prior to other processes during adolescence. In other words, speech comprehension occurs prior to speech production. It is complicated for adolescents to make sound decisions if perhaps myelination hasn’t happened in the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for decision making. Therefore the adolescent will choose a more risky behavior because they are unable to access their higher cognitive functions. It has been proven that individuals mature at different rates given certain policies where a 16 year old cannot be held up to the death penalty because they aren’t psychosocially mature enough, but can make a sound medical decision without the consent of an adult. Steinberg thought that we should move away from using a 2 class category system (child/adult) and use a more realistic classification system (child, adolescent, adult). Only during the stage of adolescence, is where there are age restrictions because at certain ages adolescents are only allowed to engage in particular activities, but reversely are limited by those same age constraints according to public policy. “Medical decisions are those where

The article mentioning the I-Gen isn't completely wrong. However, stating that kids in school absolutely need jobs is a bit excessive. Most kids are taking ap classes, plus all the old people in the desert don't feel the need to retire quite yet, so job positions for teens in high school are given more to the older generations. Also cutting down times on items like smart phones or computers is nearly impossible, most teachers require work to be turned in online (cough cough), combined with six classes could mean a possible 3 hours on electronics for work alone. Overall, this article isn't too bad and makes some compelling points.

In the modern times there has been an increase in the number of juvenile offenders. This has been as a result of crime cases among juveniles. There are many factors that has been associated with the increased number of cases among the juveniles including rapid development of technology, lack of proper parenting, high level of school drop outs, increased drug abuse among juveniles among others. One of the issues that have led to great discussion is to whether the juvenile whether or not juvenile offenders should be allowed to attend school. The other issue is whether the offenders classmates should be notified about their offending behavior.

First, most adolescents are not mature enough to make decisions that will change their lives forever. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius state, “Some older adolescents have the cognitive ability and capacity to reason similarly to an adult. However, neuroimaging studies

Mrs. Bellmore agrees with the idea that the legal driving age for teenagers to should be raised from 16 to 18. She claims that teenagers are not mature enough and are not able to make responsible decisions regarding driving. In rebuttal, teens are mature and her statement is very broad. This statement is saying that all individuals from 13 to 19 are deemed as irresponsible and unable to make good and wise decisions on the road. This claim is simply false. In fact, at 18 years, Tiffany zhong, an analyst and associate at Binary Capital, manages more than $130 million in investments, Zhong holds a job often reserved for much older workers, many of them with MBAs .Furthermore, Zhong makes high risk decisions on a regular basis using her teenage

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 to the public but also in the medical field. In order to understand the question asked earlier in this paper, doctors are using tactics like scanning minors brains to see how they develop or just using studies to

If you have the right, you're entitled to exercise the right." (Zadrozny, Brandy 1). “Minors attempting to refuse treatment, particularly when it is potentially life-saving, have experienced difficulties having their refusal accepted, and are usually found to be incompetent to do so by the courts, despite the UNCRC guaranteeing children's rights to be consulted and to participate in decisions made about their lives.”(Mackenzie, Robin, and John Watts 1). Minors refusing treatment is found incompetent even though the UNCRC allows minors to participate in decisions about their lives. Cassandra C. was viewed as immature for running away even though she showed all capabilities of refusing treatment. Restrained to one room with no one to talk to, no friends allowed to see you, and even her own mother kept away from her was cruel. Refusing treatment is not the decision to die it is the decision to refuse what the doctor believes is best .Also to seek healthier alternative options.Refusing treatment is not about a life or death choice it is about what is decided for themselves and the rights that are presented to

Studies from National Geographic show that by 15, you can make decisions just as well as adults about 70 to 80 percent of the time(Dobbs). This shows that teenagers are fully capable of making decisions for themselves, without the input of adults. The study also shows that “14-17 year olds- the biggest risk takers-use the same basic cognitive strategies that adults do, and they usually reason through their problems just as well as adults do.”(Dobbs). Again, this supports that teens can fully understand the choices they have and know how to work through them like an adult

We’ve all been there. It’s saturday evening and you're trying to enjoy a peaceful meal at your favorite restaurant. The feat is almost impossible however, due to the myriad of disruptive teens and screaming kids saturating the environment. Their impertinent language, cacophonous laughter, and insolent behaviour are not only aggravating to customers but a liability for restaurant owners. You may be surprised to discover that the presence of teens in a place of business can actually drive down the profit and negatively impact small business owners. It is for this reason that businesses should be allowed to ban teens from there building.

Teenagers are still growing and learning. Sometimes we forget that they are making choices that can affect their whole life. Yes, we are here to teach them and to guide them in making decisions that will help shape their future. Are they going to make mistakes? Are they going to regret some of their choices? Are they going to wish that they had listened to their parents at times that they didn’t? I’m pretty sure that we made mistakes as teenagers and decisions that we wish we could change. I know that some made worse choices than others but, we have all made poor choices at one time or another even as adults. I definitely feel that