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Minor Medical Decisions

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“Minors and Medical Decisions”
In the case of Cassandra C., the Connecticut Supreme Court made the decision to effectively force a Connecticut teenager to endure chemotherapy against her own will. Cassandra’s mother, when speaking to the Washington Post, states, "She has been forced to put chemo in her body right now, as we speak. These are her rights that have been taken away. She does not want to (put) poison in her body" (Larimer par 3). Minors, who face medical challenges, including cancer treatment, abortion, or other serious medical procedures, should have the right to determine their own medical decisions if they have a clear consistent knowledge of their decision and the possible consequences it may have. Therefore, the Connecticut General Assembly should consider passing a law recognizing the “mature minor doctrine” promoting and protecting the freedom of choice among mature individuals. In the …show more content…
In many cases regarding the mature minor doctrine, minors involved who fight for their choice in medical procedures exhibit mature behavior and understanding of their decision. For instance, in the case of Cardwell v. Bechtol, Sandra Cardwell went to an osteopath and underwent a brief procedure for chronic back pain without parental consent. Several testimonies portrayed Cardwell as mature, additionally, her parents gave her volition because of her maturity and demonstration of acuity ("Cardwell v. Bechtol" par 11).
When considering implementation of the mature minor doctrine in law today one might look at Arkansas's code regarding legal consent of medical treatment. It states that, in regards to general medical consent, “any unemancipated minor of sufficient intelligence to understand and appreciate the consequences of the proposed surgical or medical treatment or procedures, for himself or herself” (“2010 Arkansas Code”

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