The following states only require one parent’s consent: AL, AZ, AR, ID, IN, KY, LA, MA, MI, MO, NE, NC, OH, PN, RI, SC,TN, TX, UT and WI. In cases where the minor’s parents do not have legal custody of the minor meaning the courts have placed limitations on the parents rights, the minor must get consent from their appointed guardian. A legal guardian is an adult that the courts have made responsible for the minors actions. Parental consent can be given by the parent(s) or legal guardian. Parental consent is the right a parent or guardian has that places limitations on a minor’s ability to make decisions on their own. What is Parental Consent and Who Can Give It? Judicial consent and emancipation are explained in greater detail below. In this case a minor is allowed to seek the permission of a judge as an alternative. Judicial consent is a way to ensure parent(s) or guardians can not 100 percent interfere with the legal right of a minor. Essectionally, although a minor is considered old enough to make the decison to engage in sexual activites with another, they may not be old enough to terminate a pregancy that came as a direct result of the choice to have sex.įurthermore, there are a few situations where parental consent may not impact the minor’s ability to have an abortion performed such as: judicial consent or emancipation. However, also in Mississippi, a minor must be 18 inorder to have an abortion without BOTH parents consent. For example, in the state of Mississippi, at 16 a minor is considered older enough to make decisions on their own involving sex. an abortion), is not the same as the age of sexual consent, which also vary from state to state. Therefore, women under the age of majority are legally required to take additionally step before they are allowed to terminate their pregnancy.Īlso note, the age of consent to have an important medical procedure (i.e. However, there are a few states where the age of majority is higher such as Mississippi where the age of majority 21 and Nebraska’s is 19. According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), most adolescents already inform parents about their use of reproductive health services.Generally, persons under the age of 18 are considered minors. Planned Parenthood encourages adolescents to communicate with their parents and guardians when seeking contraceptive health care, but does not require that they do so. Testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).The law states that "a minor has the same capacity as an adult to consent to treatment for or advice about drug abuse, alcoholism, venereal disease, pregnancy, and contraception other than sterilization." This means minors can get the following services without parental knowledge or consent: This law permits minors to receive contraceptive services on a confidential basis. (Article 20-102 of the Maryland Annotated Code) Maryland's Minor Consent Law for Reproductive Health Services Maryland law provides the above exclusions to protect these young people. The remaining young people usually do not turn to their parent because of difficult circumstances, they may not live with the parent, or they may be legitimately concerned about abuse or being thrown out of their homes. Our experience at Planned Parenthood of Maryland, and the scientific research done by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, show that the vast majority of adolescents (81 percent, according to the AGI study) already involve a parent or other adult in the abortion decision. A reasonable effort to give notice has been unsuccessful.The minor patient does not live with her parent or guardian, OR.Notice may lead to physical or emotional abuse of the minor, OR.Notification would not be in the minor's best interest, OR.The minor is mature and capable of giving her informed consent to the procedure, OR.Maryland's parental notification law says specifically that no notification is required if, in the judgment of the doctor performing the abortion: The parent/guardian does not need to consent (agree) with the minor's choice, but does need to know the minor is planning to have an abortion. Maryland law requires that one parent or guardian be notified before a minor has an abortion. (Article 20-103 of the Maryland Annotated Code) Maryland's Parental Notification for Abortion Law Maryland Minor Laws MARYLAND LAW: REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS FOR MINORSĭefinition of a Minor: In Maryland, a minor is anyone under the age of 18 years who is not married or the parent of a child.