DEP 4305 Discussion
Discussion 1: Does being a mother make you an adult?
Scenario: Several years ago, an adult couple gave birth to an infant son who had to be placed in a neonatal intensive care unit. The adult couple was overwhelmed by medical decisions. Doctors would brief the parents every day on critical decisions to be made: whether to start or discontinue drugs that might help the baby in the short term but cause long-term disability; whether to begin feedings that would make it more likely the baby would learn to eat but cause him to lose weight, perhaps critically. The next “cubby” was occupied by the infant son of a 15-year-old girl who was HIV positive. Her son was 2 months premature. She seemed very competent and mature but was unemployed. Her mother had thrown her out of the house on learning she was pregnant, and the 17-year-old father of her son had just been released from prison on assault charges. Because phone service was provided free to families, her boyfriend was spending all of his time in the hospital calling people he knew all over the country to announce that he had just gotten out of jail.
In your discussion board post, answer the following questions:
I think this 15-year-old female is an adult because…
I think this 15-year-old female is still an adolescent because…
Should the 15-year-old mother be solely responsible for any of these decisions? Why or why not? Answer for each one listed below.
circumcision
day-to-day medical decisions (feeding, medication)
surgery
release date from the hospital
termination of life support
Lastly, should be the baby be released solely into her care?