Medical Emancipation

     One of the biggest issues within My Sister's Keeper is the idea of medical emancipation. Anna sues her parents for the rights to her own body. This was mainly brought on by the idea that medical procedures were forced upon her in order to save her sister Kate. Could this be a problem within the society we live in?
     While it is not often heard of in today's society, it is something that is a possibility. Therefore, I believe that it is important to hold the ethical discussion of medical emancipation before it becomes a major issue in society.
     First of all, it is necessary to clarify that medical emancipation is not the same thing as actual emancipation. Medical emancipation is not a child looking to live away from their parents or being out from their jurisdiction completely. Instead, medical emancipation is strictly removing medical jurisdiction from the parents and giving it to the child.
     In most cases, medical emancipation would not be at all necessary. After all how many children are actually forced to go through medical procedures without their consent? However, this could be a possible scenario for a very sick child who is tired of having their quality of life decrease because of the constant experimentation with procedures trying to cure the incurable. In this instance, if the parents are unwilling to allow the child to enjoy the amount of time - whether large or small - they have left, medical emancipation may be a possibility. Now that we see how medical emancipation could be applied in a scenario different from that of Anna and Kate, it is necessary to consult the moral aspects of medical emancipation.
     As I have done in my previous blogs, I am going to consult the Bible to see the morality of medical emancipation. One obvious problem with medical emancipation in the Bible is it goes against the commandment to obey your parents. This is stated clearly in Ephesians 6:1-3, which states, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother'—which is the first commandment with a promise— 'so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.'" This verse is pretty clear that we are supposed to obey our parents. However, it assumes that what the parents are asking follows the word of God. What happens if they do not? If one were to look in Ezekiel 20:18-19 it states, "I said to their children in the wilderness, 'Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols. I am the Lord your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.'" By looking at this verse it shows that no matter what a person is supposed to do as God commands even if your parents say otherwise. Thus, where does this leave someone who wants medical emancipation?
     To this I respond that God gives free will. We have the free will to choose to love God or not, to do the right thing or not. Therefore, if parents are wrongly making a child go through with medical procedures without their consent or best benefit in mind, medical emancipation is a moral option. However, if the parents are acting with the child's best interests in mind and according to the will of God, the child must remain under control of their parents.
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