My Debate Topic: Children’s rights

Pro	Con
Chazai	Jada
Sage	Tiffany

With our debate, my partner Sage and I were debating against Jada and Tiffany that the right to determine all matters for their children should fall with the parents, with Sage and I representing the affirmative. Some of the main points that came up were that children are not mentally mature enough to make big decisions for themselves and are already dealing with enough stress from school, so by allowing parents to make decisions for their children, it would take some of the burden off of their shoulders. The opposing side brought up the fact that decision making is a skill rather than a privilege, and thus shouldn’t be given at a certain age.

My Debate Reflection

I found debating very fun and challenging. I wasn’t used to talking in front of a big group or arguing in a professional setting, so it was a nice learning experience. My strengths fell with my arguments themselves, as I always received good feedback in terms of the quality of my arguments. On the other hand, I received feedback that I lacked stage presence and I definitely agreed. I was very clearly nervous during the first debate, speaking too fast and not making eye contact, which I fixed for the second debate by slowing down when I spoke and emphasizing what needed to be emphasized.

The Best Resource I Found

https://family.legalaid.bc.ca/children/parenting-guardianship/best-interests-child

This was the best resource I found while researching this topic. It is a credible government source that laid out all of the legal rights that parents have when it comes to decision-making for their children. The website provided a lot of insight for the topic and helped me form my arguments.

My Favourite Quote

I chose this as my favourite quote because I felt that it really reflected the criteria that we were under while arguing. When the judges were filling out their sheets, they would score us on a scale of 1-3 based on how we presented our arguments, rather than what the argument actually was. Therefore, in this context, our actions mattered more than our arguments, as we had to make sure that we had confidence to score high.

Works Cited

Best Interests of the Child | Family Law in BC. https://family.legalaid.bc.ca/children/parenting-guardianship/best-interests-child. Accessed 25 May 2023.

Canada – Place Explorer – Data Commons. https://datacommons.org/place/country/CAN/?utm_medium=explore&mprop=lifeExpectancy&popt=Person&hl=en. Accessed 25 May 2023.

“Do Teenagers Really Make Bad Decisions?” Frontiers for Young Minds, https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2017.00053. Accessed 25 May 2023.

Government of Canada, Department of Justice. Department of Justice – Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Children’s Participatory Rights in Canada. 18 Mar. 2016, https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/other-autre/article12/p3a.html#:~:text=Generally%2C%20parents%20are%20entitled%20to,governing%20consent%20to%20medical%20treatment.

“Know the Law: Children and Consent to Health Care.” Dial-A-Law, https://dialalaw.peopleslawschool.ca/children-and-consent-to-health-care/. Accessed 25 May 2023.

“Legal Guardianship BC, Family Law Act BC Guardianship | Thomas & Associates.” GK Thomas, http://gkthomaslaw.ca/guardianship-in-british-columbia/. Accessed 25 May 2023.

Parental Decision Making | UW Department of Bioethics & Humanities. https://depts.washington.edu/bhdept/ethics-medicine/bioethics-topics/detail/72#:~:text=Parents%20have%20the%20responsibility%20and,best%20interests%20of%20the%20child. Accessed 25 May 2023.

“The Adolescent Brain: Beyond Raging Hormones.” Harvard Health, 7 Mar. 2011, https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/the-adolescent-brain-beyond-raging-hormones.

Youth Age-Based Legal Rights in BC| Legal Rights for Youth. http://legalrightsforyouth.ca/age-based-legal-rights. Accessed 25 May 2023.

Core Competency Reflection

One of the ways I ensure my partner and I are clear on the common purpose is to constantly communicate with each other on our points and opinions. We both made sure that we knew what the other’s arguments were so that if we could help each other come up with rebuttal arguments and prepare for cross examination.

I used criteria and/or feedback to improve my debate; evidence of that is after our first debate, I received feedback about my stage presence when presenting my arguments. Specifically, I was told to speak slower and more concise, and try to make more eye contact with the audience. I took this feedback and applied it to the second debate, where I received better marks about my stage presence.

When I was faced with ambiguity or setbacks in the debating unit, I would go back to my sources and re-research my topic. I wanted to make sure that I fully understood my topic so that I would be able to debate it and would be prepared for any potential arguments that came my way. By going back to my sources, I would refresh my memory, which would give me new ideas and solve any problems I had.