Children 's Health Should Be Made By Medical Professionals

Understand how to plan & provide environments & services that support children & young people’s health & safety.

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.

2.2 Describe with examples the importance of recognising and responding to concerns about children and young people’s development

Being healthy is not just about eating lots of fruit and drinking 8 glasses of water each day. It's about young people enjoying a healthy lifestyle, feeling good about themselves and having good emotional and mental health. We hope that

The Court reasoned that the Washington statute violated parents’ rights under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause because it stripped them of the autonomy to make best care decisions for their young.

The people responsible for reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences regulations 1985 (RIDDOR) and the documentation of are the office manager and administrator. The law states that employers report:

Lines of responsibilities everyone has responsibility for the health and safety of the children and young people each member of staff need clear reporting

All individuals should have equal access to check-u, medical health treatment and also should fully have an understanding of their legal rights. Practitioners have to make sure that relevant legislation is put into practice. The children Act 1989, for example, states the local authorities must act in the ‘best interests’ of all children, and that each child has a fundamental to housing, health care and education.

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.

Unfortunately every child has the possibility to be hurt, put at risk of harm or abused. Safeguarding is our way to ensure that all children are allowed to grow up in a safe environment, protect them from ill treatment, harm and any factors that may impact on their safety and wellbeing.

While I believe these parents have the absolute right to pass down values to their children, they should also introduce different views to their children so that they would be able to make a more educated decision to what will best fit their life. However, at this moment, these parents are instilling these values of denying healthcare and not teaching their children what is health care, why others may have healthcare and why their family

Matthew Brennan from he Health and Pregnancy Center of WebMD says, “Pediatricians are physicians who specialize in the growth and development of babies, children, and adolescents” (WebMD). Pediatricians are responsible for assuring concerned parents that their precious child is on the correct track for a long and healthy life. While researching more on the tasks of these doctors, I found that they mainly examine the child before coming up with a diagnosis. A typical examine consists of checking their ears, reflexes, throat, etc. I had also learned that pediatricians are the first to examine a baby who is just born. They must be sure the new baby is breathing and responding correctly (WebMD).

Health and safety legislations and regulations are implemented in own work settings because there will always be a possibility of accidents happening which may damage someone’s health and all work will expose people to hazards, however the health and safety legislations and regulations are put in place and used so that these risks and hazards are under control and so everyone’s health (staff and children) are safe at all costs.

Most of the laws concerning the abuse of the elderly were exact replicas of the state’s child abuse laws. A doctor’s note, along with a note from another social worker, is required in 43 states to establish a case, which is exactly what is needed for a child abuse case. These necessities may not be peculiar for a case concerning a child who does not have the ability to speak for his or her self, but are most definitely unnecessary for an elder (Shapiro 1992). Elders should have patient-doctor confidentiality, and the right to make their own decision considering most elders are independent, and are financially secure. In conclusion, I do not agree with this current law.

For the most part, parents have the best interest of their children at heart. However, there are unfortunately many cases throughout the United States where parents are unable to, for one reason or another, take care of their children. Sometimes, this can be seen as a health issue of the parents. Sometimes, parents are unable to raise their children well due to physical, financial, and/or emotional issues. Other times, parents do not have the best interests of their children in mind and can be neglectful or abusive to them. In these circumstances, the state may become involved and step into