Cross posted on Amplify
Imagine this scenario: a girl, under the age of 18, is being repeatedly raped by her stepfather. She has no one in her family or friend group to turn to. The stepfather is well liked, and the girl thinks that no one would believe her if she spoke up. Then imagine that the girl tried to go to a rape crises center, and even a doctor, to get help and STD/pregnancy testing.
If a new Senate Republican-supported provision in a state omnibus bill passes in Minnesota, young women in situations like the above would be forced to acquire parental consent in order to get treatment and help. Such a law would hurt young people beyond measure.
Unfortunately, the above story about the victimized minor is true: it was part of a testimony delivered by Dr. Ann Edwards on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics in opposition to the attempted repeal of minor consent laws. The Academy was joined by the Minnesota Department of Health, the Mayo Clinic, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and a number of teen pregnancy prevention groups, which all testified about the cruelty and gross deficiencies of this Senate Republican proposal (source:Minnesota Independent.)
Minor consent laws are critical to young people’s health. We need to be able to go to the doctor’s office and know that a) we will have access to proper treatment, care, and counseling and b) the doctor is required by law to protect our confidentiality, even if we are under the age of 18. Too often, young people just don’t get help because there are no trusted resources available to them. What’s more, Planned Parenthood and many school-based health centers (two of the most important resources for youth) are facing drastic cuts thanks to the GOP’s current and shameless war on women and young people. Now is a more important time than ever to protect minor consent provisions.
Currently, most states allow minors to access some mental and physical health services without parental consent (while preserving confidentiality). When it comes to birth control, abortion, and STD testing, though, minors’ consent is too often seen as non-binding.
Ultimately, this issue isn’t just about Minnesota. With socially conservative state legislatures in place all over the country, reproductive health and freedom advocates are concerned that minor consent laws will come under repeated threat. But we can’t back down in the face of this ideological assault on our rights. In a world where 1 in 3 American teens will become pregnant, and where 10,000 teens catch an STD EACH DAY, youth must always be able to access the health care and services they need -- and feel empowered and supported in doing so.
Dan Jubelirer is a Netroots Youth Fellow at Amplify, a youth-driven community dedicated to promoting sexual health and reproductive justice.