No adults allowed: Adolescents and Medical Decision Making

• Published in: Paediatrics & child health Vol. 29; no. 3; pp. 171 - 173
• Main Authors: Nemetz, Elisheva T A, Huang, Ryan S, Das, Sunit
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: US Oxford University Press 01-06-2024
• Subjects: Adults; Age; Bioethics; Childrens health; Commentaries; Consent; Consequentialism; Decision making; Ethics; Families & family life; Pediatrics; Physicians; Substance abuse treatment; Teenagers; Torts; Adolescence; Ethics; Capacity; Consent; Barriers
• ISSN: 1205-7088; 1918-1485
• DOI: 10.1093/pch/pxad068

Abstract
The majority of the literature focused on whether consent should be extended to the adolescent population arises from themes adapted from American tort law. In contrast to the USA, Ontario does not delineate an age of consent for medical treatment and relying on American guidelines to guide practice in Ontario is problematic. While the literature is saturated with discussions for and against seeking adolescent consent, there are currently no bioethical guidelines on adolescent consent in the province of Ontario. This paper explores adolescent refusal of care and adolescent request for care in opposition to parental wishes. The paper seeks to answer the following questions: What is the difference between an adolescent and an adult in medical decision-making? What are the barriers to seeking adolescent consent? And, can the neurobiological argument be an accurate guide for obtaining adolescent consent?