NC Law Paves Way for Pharma to Control Children's Healthcare Without Parental Consent
NC Law Paves Way for Pharma to Control Children's Healthcare Without Parental Consent
NC Law Paves Way for Pharma to Control Children's Healthcare Without Parental Consent
Updated February 2024
This is perhaps the most important article that HEALNC has posted – especially if you have children or grandchildren. As you may know, there was a public outcry in December 2020 when the city of Washington, DC passed a bill allowing children 11 years and up to consent to vaccines without their parents’ approval or knowledge. You might be surprised to learn that laws giving North Carolina minors of any age even broader consent have lain dormant in our state for years. Recently, the medical establishment has begun to embrace these laws.
In researching this article on North Carolina’s minor consent laws dating back to 1965, we realized that the 2023 Parents Bill of Rights was written to allow North Carolina children to consent to vaccines, birth control, anti-depressants, hormone blockers, and many other therapies without their parents knowing.
In this article we will review children’s consent laws in North Carolina, explore the history of how North Carolina’s laws came to be, discuss the neutering of the new Parents’ Bill of Rights, and explain what you can do to protect your child.
How did we learn about this?
We learned about North Carolina’s law when the lead author of this article shared her experience with her son:
“Four years ago at our former pediatrician’s office, I was given notice that when my child(ren) turn 13, I would have limited access to their health information. My child(ren) would be able to set up their own online health account. This is in order to protect my child(ren)’s personal medical information. From whom? The implications of this are horrifying. How are pediatric offices able to essentially lock parents out of their children’s medical records?”
This practice appears to have been rare since this is the first time we had heard of such a policy. But as of November 1, 2023, Atrium Health announced that parents would no longer be able to access their children’s prescription records. Who is Atrium Health? Based in Charlotte, Atrium Health, part of Advocate Health, is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States. They have over 6 million patients spanning North Carolina and five other states.
Screen shot of Atrium Health’s announcement
What are North Carolina’s child consent laws?
North Carolina’s laws not only allow children of any age to consent to vaccination, they allow children of any age to consent (without parental knowledge) to medical services for prevention/treatment of venereal disease, pregnancy, drug and alcohol issues, and emotional disturbance. HIPAA, a federal law, goes even further saying if a minor can consent to a medical service, the minor’s privacy about that service is covered by HIPAA privacy rules. Thus, parents are not able to see their child’s medical records for the services listed above. This is how Atrium can legally prevent parents from seeing their children’s medical records.
In addition, HIPAA states that if a child worries that their parents will find out about their treatment through the billing and insurance claims process, the minor can request that providers and health plans restrict disclosure of their protected health information.
This means that a child of any age in North Carolina can consent to a vaccine, birth control, anti-depressants, puberty blockers, etc. without a parent’s consent or knowledge. Payment for these services can even be kept from the child’s health insurance records so the parent remains unaware of the treatment.
Check out our article about a 17 year old girl in Maine whose parents found an unmarked zip lock bag with anti-depressants in her possession that was given to her by her school based health center without parental consent or knowledge. Upon further investigation, the parents discovered that she had been given birth control pills and a birth control implant two years earlier. The parents weren’t even able to see that the services had been rendered on the insurance records. This could happen legally in North Carolina today.
The only silver lining for North Carolina is that our law excludes abortion and Emergency Use Authorized products (EUA) such as the Covid vaccine.
History of Child Consent Laws in North Carolina
One might guess that the legal framework that eliminates parents’ rights happened around 2020 when vaccine mandates for an unauthorized product were rolled out worldwide. In fact, this framework’s creation began in North Carolina in 1965! It was finalized in 1977 and has lain dormant since then.
Following is a timeline of North Carolina bills related to granting rights to minors of any age:
- 1965 -- H.B. 1010 was introduced for a minor to receive emergency medical attention and treatment in the event a parent or guardian could not be reached.
- 1971 -- H.B. 153 stated “Any minor may give effective consent for medical health services to determine the presence of or to treat venereal diseases and other diseases defined by the Health Commission, and the consent of no other person shall be necessary.”
- 1977 -- H.B. 370 added: prevention, diagnosis and treatment of (i) venereal diseases and other diseases the Health Commission deems “reportable” (ii) pregnancy, (iii) abuse of controlled substances and alcohol, and (iv) emotional disturbance.
- 2002 – HIPAA (federal) was created preventing parents from having access to medical records related to prevention, diagnosis and treatment of (i) venereal diseases and other diseases the Health Commission deems “reportable” (ii) pregnancy, (iii) abuse of controlled substances and alcohol, and (iv) emotional disturbance.
- 2021 – H.B. 96 took a positive step by requiring written parental permission for a child under 18 to receive an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) vaccination such as the Covid vaccine.
- 2023 – S.B. 49 – The Parents’ Bill of Rights claimed to protect a parent’s right to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of their minor children. Unfortunately, as we researched information for this article, we discovered it contained a loophole that carved out the entire framework that gives children consent rights. Read # 5 and #6 in the image below:
Vaxteen is encouraging children to take advantage of the North Carolina laws
According to Vaxteen.org, a Google sponsored website that is encouraging teens to take advantage of self-consent laws to circumvent their “anti-vax” parents, “In North Carolina, minors of any age do not need their parent’s consent to receive all healthcare services, including vaccinations.” The website adds, “Note: Minors can receive some healthcare services without parental consent in Title X-funded clinics. Call a nearby clinic to see if they will administer vaccinations without parental consent or your state health department for more information.” A link is then provided for site visitors to find a clinic near them.
In addition to children having access to healthcare without parental consent, many states, including North Carolina, are implementing School Based Health Centers, which give the government, physicians, and school officials even more access to your children and their healthcare needs or desires. It should be noted that due to a law passed in 1986, pharmaceutical companies cannot be held liable for any vaccine related injury or death.
What you can do to protect your children
Parents, it is time to stand up and stand firm. Here are some things you can do:
Research. Take the time to inform yourself fully.
Ask questions. You may find resistance and even sarcasm when asking questions, especially ones that go against the narrative, but don’t back down.
Communicate with your children. Have difficult conversations with them about their body, healthcare, and do not overreact when they say something you are not expecting.
Write to your legislators. Their job is to protect YOU, not big corporations, pharmaceutical companies, or schools. Start with your local officials.
Find a pediatrician or family physician who shares your values.
Homeschool. While this is not an option for everyone, many of us have found it is the ideal way to take control of our children’s upbringing.
Teach your children to be critical thinkers. Encourage them to ask hard questions and do their own research. Teach them to think about what is important to them. Give them the tools they need to be able to make sound decisions when you are not there.
HEALNC continues to monitor this situation, and we are part of a coalition sponsored by the NC Physicians for Freedom that is delving into these child consent laws and discussing them with our friendly legislators. We are working to schedule a meeting soon with a small group of legislators.
What are your thoughts about North Carolina’s minor consent laws? Have you been denied access to your child’s medical records? Tell us about it in the comments section below, or if you prefer to respond privately email info@HEALNC.net.