Minors can seek health care related to sexual activity confidentially and without parental consent. However, if diagnosed with pregnancy, things get a bit sticky ethically. While health care providers would like to protect the confidentiality of the minor, there is an obligation to help ensure adequate health care for the unborn child, a task that often requires the participation of an informed parent or guardian. If a minor can't be convinced of the benefits of parental or adult participation in her pregnancy, does the law permit breaching confidentiality in this situation?
Depends on the state. A health care worker may, by law, inform parents of a minor's pregnancy in:
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Tennessee
Other state's don't have an explicit policy on this issue and health care providers are hence left to the guidance of their personal moral compass. For additional information, follow
this link to the Guttmacher institute.
Source
Guttmacher Institute. "State Policies in Brief: Minor's Access to Prenatal Care" 1 Feb 2009.
Baren, J. MD. "Ethical Dilemmas in the Care of Minors in the Emergency Department"
Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America. 2006.
