Quote:
Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
But what you're really arguing is that these laws should have more exceptions for certain cases. What's the problem if it's paigow, with her greenwich upbringing and solid family situation? That we can presume a minor can informedly consent to abortion, but not other medical procedures (not to mention a presumed inability to enter into all sorts of other contractual arrangements affecting the person's life in less serious ways)?
What if the law simply said there was mandatory counseling in lieu of parental consent (with specifics as to what the counseling consisted of)? Still too intrusive?
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I don't have problems with mandatory counseling for minors.
Also, in Texas minors can consent to a lot without parental involvment. Treatment for reportable communicable diseases, care during pregnancy, drug and alcohol treatment. It's up to the physician's professional judgement on whether or not to tell the parents about what's going on.
From a practical standpoint, it's also a good idea to ask some health questions from kids without a parent knowing the answer. For example, before any female over the age of 12 can get an abdominal X-ray, you absolutely need to know whether or not the patient is pregnant. Having mom in the room when you ask her if there's a possibility that she's pregnant doesn't really help in getting to the answer, because kid will either lie about whether or not she's having sex, or mom will say "of course not" and glare at the kid, daring her to contradict mom. There are hundreds of other reasons that a health care provider might want to know if a patient is pregnant.
