An Introduction to Moral Philosophy with Cases

Question Three: 

Considering the conditions of autonomy, a seventeen-year-old is still a child. A child is described as anyone under the age of 18 years old. Autonomy is considered the main principle in an individual's health decision-making (Burnor & Raley, 2017). Adolescents can take part in medical decision-making to some extent. An adolescent is defined as a person between the age of 10-19. So, a 17-year-old is an adolescent and fulfills autonomy for making health decisions but only to some extent. 

Question Six: 

Situation adults may temporarily lose autonomy include; once there is a patient-physician relationship, here is the duty to treat. The physician is served to protect their patients against the misuse of power in the relationship. The issue is continually a growing concern, particularly when treating both the young and elderly patients, whereby, in this case, it is the older adults. The physician's exercise may be cloaked by a disguise of beneficence and yet be a renunciation of patient autonomy. Second, communication is also an essential part of exercising autonomy (Burnor & Raley, 2017). Capable individuals can practice their autonomy on health care issues all the time, while it becomes difficult for those with the inadequate capability to exercise autonomy. As such, this is a big concern for terminally ill patients primarily because they lack decision-making capacity. 

Question 10: 

One significant reason those under 18 should not endure the death penalty is that according to society's rules, children under the age of 18 years cannot be considered or perform as adults (Burnor & Raley, 2017). The law plays a vital role in ensuring special procedures in safeguarding children from the consequences of their actions, such as rehabilitation, which they are more likely to respond to. Adolescents should always be held accountable for their actions, the type of offense committed, and the projections of protecting the community and rehabilitating the juvenile. 

Reference 

Burnor, R., & Raley, Y. (2017). Ethical Choices: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy with Cases (2nd ed., p. 384). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0190464509