Module 4 Assignment

Module 4 Assignment
Kristopher C. Sanders
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
LBST-2214-658

Module 4 Assignment

Court cases involving an ill youth, their parents, and the government are often vary
trivial. Some are easier than others to resolve, but then again, when it comes down to a life or
death situation, the government never fails to intervene. This was evident in the case involving a
sixteen year old cancer patient, Billy Best, who actually ran away to Texas in order to avoid
another round of cancer treatments (Knox, 1994). Billy was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin's
disease which, fortunately for him, is believed to have an eighty percent chance to be cured
(Knox, 1994). Furthermore, his doctors and parents understandably want him to undergo another
four months of treatment to eradicate a tumor near his windpipe; however he refuses to continue
with the treatments. But the main issue here is to determine why a case is being brought up to
cure this teen if both of his parents are giving their consent. After all, the parents are not
neglecting their child, they just want what is best for Billy. Well according to Knox, in the state
of Massachusetts, sixteen year olds are considered to be a mature minor, and are placed into a
gray area when it comes to determining who has full consent. This gray area gives certain minors
access to specific medical treatments but not life-saving ones. George Annas, a professor cited in
Knoxs article states that there is no resolution to this case, and the best thing the parents can do
is talk with the teenager, and try to persuade him to accept his treatment.
For the case involving Billy Best, I absolutely believe the right decision was made to
allow Billy to choose how he wanted his cancer to be treated. Being a teenager can be hard, but it
is difficult to imagine how frustrating it must be to live with a cancer that is slowly bringing you
to your demise. In fact, the only group that knows how hard it can be to live with cancer are the
ones who have experienced it firsthand. In this case, Billy is the only one who has experienced
this pain. It should be his right to refuse the treatment if he believes his body can no longer
handle the fatigue that come with his cancer therapy. He knows his limits, and for the

Module 4 Assignment

government to just continue to force someone into discomfort would be a major violation of our
countrys founding principles. So why is our government practically forcing minors like Billy to
participate in a treatment that many have described as uncomfortable and even painful? The only
possible answer would be to assume that the government is trying to do what is best for the
families and their children. But what is interesting about Billys particular case is the fact that the
government didnt lose to the family, it lost to the so called minor who needs someone to make
decisions for him. Thankfully, the result of this case proved that the government does not always
know what is best, instead, the conclusion of this case proves that not all minors should have to
follow what their parents or their government tells them to do in regards to their personal health.
In conclusion, I believe that the minor should make the final decision when it comes to
dealing with his or her body. If a minor does not want to participate in a certain treatment, they
should be granted that right to refuse; and rather than fighting the minors decision, the parent or
the government should discuss a solution that everyone can agree upon. What this case proved is
that the current policy we have in place is fundamentally unsound. This policy was supposed to
allow the parents to make the final decision, but Billy was able to single-handedly destroy that
process. Furthermore, it is evident that our government officials need to reevaluate the system we
have in place and make some major changes. One option I propose is to lower the age limit of
the minor. Justice would be a good ethical principle to argue here because not all youth are as
immature as some might believe and it is not fair to assume that every teenager is incapable of
making a justifiable decision. There are actually many minors in America that have proven that
age has nothing to do with responsible decision making. If we do in fact lower the age limit, I
believe that sixteen would be the perfect age. If this age group can be trusted to drive a vehicle,
then they should also be trusted when it comes to deciding their medical future. My next and

Module 4 Assignment

final recommendation would be to give both the child and the parent a fifty-fifty split when
making medical decisions. While Im sure this may be a highly disputed opinion, I believe that
this new policy could work. Some may think that a child younger than the age of ten may make a
highly uneducated decision, leading to an unreasonable conclusion. But I disagree. I believe it is
generally acceptable to think that many young children will do what their parents tell them to do
because they typically have a trusting relationship with their parent. In addition, the best thing to
do would be to talk to the kid and try and persuade them into making the right decision (Knox,
1994). Furthermore, another reason this policy could work is because it gives the younger
teenagers a false sense of control. As mentioned at the end of Knoxs article, what aggravates
many teenagers is that fact that grown-ups are always telling them what to do, but the best way
to approach this dispute is to let the minor know that they can make this decision. Autonomy is a
great ethical principle to argue for this particular policy because the minors should decide how
they are medically treated. If they feel like their bodies are unable to withstand the trials that
come with medical therapies, then they should make the final decision. At the end of the day, the
parents and government both want what is best for this countrys youth. But if we truly want
them to live a happy life, we need to make sure we listen to their opinions, and provide them
with a reliable remedy that they will happily accept.

Module 4 Assignment

Reference
Knox, R. A. (1994, Nov 23). Billy best's case reveals gray area of patient rights. Boston Globe
(Pre-1997 Fulltext) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/
290706387?acco

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