5 Things Parents Should Know About Minor Consent Laws for Healthcare

Minor consent laws allow children as young as 11 years old the ability to seek out, consent to, and receive medical treatments — including vaccines, drugs, surgical procedures, reproductive care and more — without their parent’s knowledge or consent.

Minor consent bills are moving forward in legislatures around the country, representing a nationwide campaign to vaccinate children regardless of objections by their parents.

Here are important things to know.

Minor consent laws …

1. Infringe on parental rights. Parents know their children better than anyone and have the right to decide what is best for their children’s health.

Minor consent means parents and guardians are intentionally excluded from their children’s medical decisions. In some instances, minor consent laws include provisions designed to deceive parents by concealing drugs or vaccinations their child consented to, even those in violation of parents’ written religious exemptions.

2. Violate First Amendment rights. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia declared that D.C. minors can’t be vaccinated without parents’ knowledge.

Minor consent laws violate federal law because the First Amendment guarantees the free exercise of religion and undermines access to compensation under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (NCVIA).

“States and the District are free to encourage individuals — including children — to get vaccines. But they cannot transgress on the Program [NCVIA] Congress created. And they cannot trample on the Constitution.” — Judge Trevor N. McFadden, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

3. Undermine informed consent. Minors cannot be expected to have the maturity or knowledge to evaluate the potential risks and consequences of medical procedures and vaccinations on their own.

Young people are vulnerable to peer pressure, predatory marketing and coercion — especially when it comes from adults in positions of authority.

4. Endanger health and well-being. Minors may not know or be able to recall important details of their personal or family medical history.

If they have a medical emergency or an adverse reaction to medical intervention undertaken without parental knowledge, parents are at an enormous disadvantage in seeking appropriate treatments for the reaction. There’s also a risk of “doubling up” on interventions and vaccines, which can have serious consequences.

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5. Contradict legal protections. Laws protect minors from consenting to engage in many areas of society, and decisions about medical interventions should be no different. For example, minors cannot legally consent to:

• Use a tanning bed or get a tattoo or body piercing.
• Possess a firearm or register for the draft.
• Enter into a legal contract (in most states).
• Marry without parental permission (in most states).
• Purchase tobacco products and alcohol.

“To bypass parents and allow underage children to decide what gets injected into them is inconsistent with state laws, medical ethics, common sense, and optimal medical care of children. It needs to end.” — Excerpt from a statement signed by 1,400 medical professionals and scientists supporting parental rights and medical freedom

What you can do:

• Track the status of minor consent bills through online portals such as LegiScan and the National Vaccine Information Center Advocacy Portal.
• Contact your local legislators and share your thoughts on minor consent bills in your state.
• Share this flyer in your community and encourage others to stay informed and take action to protect children.
• Get involved with your local Children’s Health Defense chapter or health freedom groups.

Children's Health Defense Team