David Hann's bill that would require parental consent for teens seeking treatment for drug issues, pregnancy and STDs--with a requirement that incest victims get a judge's consent rather than that of their abusers--has been widely reported.
It's another Republican bill that isn't getting support in greater Minnesota's newspapers. The Mankato Free Press editorial board wrote that the Law would threaten teen health, while the Post Bulletin opined that Parental notification would hinder health care.
But it's not just centrist-to-liberal editorial boards of outstate papers shaking their collective heads at Hann's misguided attempt to recover some golden age of parental control. The very conservative Fairmont Sentinel--a paper that has never endorsed a Democrat--isn't buying it.
The headline makes it clear: Parental consent for treatment? We disagree. The deets of the disagreement:
We wonder what the real benefit would be - if any - if the Minnesota Legislature passes a law requiring parental consent before minors could seek treatment for pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases or drug/alcohol abuse. Proponents say it seems obvious to them that parents should have a right to know about the medical condition of their child. But if the goal is to get children needed medical care, we're not sure the proposed law helps. . . .
Current law, which has been on the books for 40 years, lets minors see doctors without parental knowledge. Parents have no access to their children's medical records.
It seems to us that the proposed law is a backwards way to go about something entirely different:?Instilling a certain set of values in young people to get them to refrain from certain activities. Parents have every right and opportunity to instruct their children any way they wish. Whether kids follow the advice is another matter. Whether kids - young adults, really, given the circumstances - have access to unfettered medical care should not be held over them.
Like the anti-ag whistleblowers bill, Hann's proposal isn't gaining support anywhere. Legislators like Hann, Magnus and Hamilton should focus on more important budget and revenue issues and leave these sorts of unlikely bills in the dustbin.
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