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Essay On Redefining The Age Of Medical Decisions To 21

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When going to the doctor, an individual must be an adult to make decisions for one's 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 decision, it is essential to be redefining the legal age of medical decisions to sixteen.
Redefining the word adult, in terms of making medical decisions, is important so that the individual is not forced to do any…show more content…
After given all the information and survival rates from receiving chemo or radiation, the patient, if above age sixteen, should be able to deny the treatment. This should be fixed because the patient should have control over the decisions that affect their own body. If that minor does not want to get a vaccine that is acceptable, but if they do not want to have a treatment done that could make them even sicker that is not fair. Giving them the option with all the data backing up the treatment, makes it fair since they would have the same knowledge as the parent and are mature enough to take or deny it.
Others may argue when defining adult to the age of sixteen to make their own medical decisions, one must take into consideration the chances of making irresponsible decisions. The news also did a story on a girl who at first refused chemotherapy, the author had stated, "Anybody should have that right. Minor or not. But, hearing the wonderful news about being in remission — not having any visible signs of active Cancer is what helped me accept the chemotherapy, knowing its working and I don't need any radiation. [That] encouraged me to keep going and just get it done and over with"(NBC). When she made this decision, she had seen the medicine as poison. Cassandra, did not want to feel the way chemo makes someone feel, sick. She did not want to feel even worse, some days not being able to get out of bed, just to try and get rid of the cancer. Even
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