How to Explain to Family and Friends WHY Minor Consent Matters
HEALNC sponsored a Zoom call featuring Children's Health Defense Attorney Justine Tanguay on August 14, 2024. The Zoom call, open to the public, highlighted our concerns about NC's alarming minor consent law.
WHY SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA’S MINOR CONSENT LAW?
NC’s Law is one of the worst in the country. According to lawyer Justine Tanguay, "NC has one of the most dangerous minor consent laws in the country."
Children of any age can consent to controversial therapies. Minors ages 0-17 in NC can consent to medical services for prevention/treatment of infectious disease (including vaccination), pregnancy, drug and alcohol issues, and emotional disturbance without parental knowledge or consent.
Parents are being shut out of decision-making about their child’s health care. NC parents’ healthcare decisions are being overturned because of this law. For example, one mother was told that a facility would not perform a drug test on her 12-year-old daughter who appeared high because, "By law, we are unable to do anything without [your daughter's] consent."
Parents are being denied access to their child’s medical records. NC's large hospital systems are preventing parents from seeing their child’s medical records beginning at age 12.
Doctors can override a parents’ decision. Doctors can override a parents' medical decision if the doctor believes a delay in treatment would "endanger the life or seriously worsen the physical condition." The physician simply has to get a second opinion from a fellow physician.
Many NC children have easy access to medical treatment via school. This law dovetails with the explosion of the Gates/Bezos and government funded School Based Health Centers (SBHC) that give children easy access to controversial medical treatments while at school without needing the parent’s consent. Children can consent to treatments in SBHCs without the parent even knowing a treatment was received.
The HEALNC/CHD Call To Action