Reason and Autonomy

Motor vehicle crashes, a leading cause of death of children and teenagers, account for nearly 3000 pediatric deaths annually. According to the logic of Margolis and Franchino, the American Academy of Pediatrics should therefore call for an end to automobile use; otherwise, everyone is violating a principle of the Hippocratic Oath, often expressed as "First do no harm." Ending youth football altogether as they propose, however, would impose their opinion on parents and young athletes who think that the benefits outweigh the risks.