➡ From Child Welfare Information Gateway
US: Treat Teenage Moms Like Moms, Not Children (Commentary)
New York Times – February 13, 2018
In Indiana, a 17-year-old can deliver a baby and then give a doctor permission to circumcise him. But during her delivery, she can’t give the doctors permission to give her an epidural. She needs her parents to consent to that, and they can refuse. The 17-year-old can consent to her infant’s hearing testing, vaccines and anything else the baby might need. But she cannot consent to a long-acting, reversible contraceptive – such as an IUD or an arm implant – to prevent her from getting pregnant again. Once again, she needs her parents’ permission, and if her parents aren’t around, she’s out of luck.
Also: An Overview of Minors’ Consent Law: https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/overview-minors-consent-law
https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/overview-minors-consent-law