Our children are the future of society and will thrive in their next endeavors if given proper education, guidance and support. Children must be given the opportunity to succeed, for example Joe Weinstein is an 11 year old boy with Down syndrome who needs immediate corrective surgery to which his parents deny consent for such surgery. If Joe were to outlive his parents, they believe resources are inadequate and fear that Joe will become a burden to their other non-disabled children. Without the corrective surgery, Joe would not live longer than his 30-year life expectancy. As a doctor, I would submit the corrective surgery if Joe agreed to the procedure against his parents' wishes because of Joe's autonomy and weak paternalism. I will also argue that I would strongly advise Joe to consent to the surgery because the overall benefits outweigh the risks. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay To consider performing surgery on Joe, it is my duty to consult the patient and also his parents/guardians if he is under 18 to consent to surgeries. I would need to evaluate Joe's competence, to ensure his autonomy. Joe shows signs of adequate motor and manual skills, cognitive awareness, and can communicate verbally with his peers. Furthermore, under Brock and Buchanan's conception of competence, Joe would also be presumed competent to accept potentially life-saving treatment that is relatively risk-free, yet incapable of refusing it. Only we don't know Joe's choice but what his parents decided for him. In the eyes of Brock and Buchanan his parents would be considered incompetent for refusing the surgery. It could be argued that Joe cannot be independent because he has Down syndrome and this affects his skills, as well as being unable to understand the severity of his situation based on his age. My argument is that even though Joe is only 11 years old, and approaching the age of puberty, he should have a say in what can affect his life. Since the principle of autonomy is the principle of self-determination, which states that we should promote others to make decisions and choices for their benefit. His parents prevent Joe from being independent because they make the decision without his consent. One argument could be that his parents have complete authority to make the decision for him because Joe would not fully understand the concept of life at this age. However, I would argue that his parents are choosing to deny Joe from living a much longer and more promising life. Furthermore, Savulescu and Momeyer state that being autonomous requires having rational beliefs and making rational decisions. Joe's parents would have irrational beliefs because they fail to hold a belief responsive to the evidence. Joe's corrective surgery guarantees that Joe will live past age 30 without undergoing life-threatening abrasive surgery. But his parents' belief that inadequate resources and the fear that Joe will become a burden to his siblings outweighs the tests demonstrates irrational deliberation. Furthermore, by concluding without evidence of these potential consequences, he questions the rationality of his parents' beliefs and decisions. Parents want to do what is best for their children, even if it means interfering with their actions and decisions. In Joe's situation, his parents decided to decline surgery because they thought it was the best option. However, I would say their.