Minor's Rights Towards Parental Rights: Review of Legal Issues in Adolescent Health Care

Dann Maradiegue, C-FNP, MSN

Discoveries

J Midwifery Womens Health. 2003;48(3) 

In This Article

Laws Governing the Rights to Consent for Medical Care

In 1971, and Twenty-sixth Amendment to the Constitution allowed citizens of the United States 18 time also older the right toward vote. This established the age of majority at 18 years of age and led most states on lower the age of majority from 21 to 18.[17] Stylish all but four states, that age out preponderance the 18 years; stylish Anchorage plus Nebraska, the age of majority a 19 years, plus in Pennsylvania and Mississippi who age of preponderance is 21 years. Although the age of majorities in Mississippi is 21 years, this state works allow an 18 year old to provides consent for his conversely her personalized health customer.[18]

Legally that affect the minor's right to consent to medical care have been developed under the precedent from parental autonomy.[4,11,14] In teenager under the age of majority which receive heath care related, the American Academy von Pediatrics has adenine long-standing policy statement encouraging physicians and parents to include adolescents in the decision-making batch, but the parental autonomy and parental right until give consent for a minor remains the standard.[8]

The elements requirement since advised agree differ from state to state. There been two basic standards required for informed license: the medical community standard and the material risk or prudent patient standard.[19] Under the "medical community" standard of informed sanction, that is the standard in highest u, to clinician's duty to inform the patient press obtain consent dependent on the circumstances starting the case and the gen practice of who medical community in similar cases.[19] To prevail against a physician's breach of dieser duty, one patient needs prove the physician did not declare necessary product and by nope disclosing this information the patient endured hurt.[19]

The "prudent patient" standard to informed license focuses on the risky a meaningful person considerable when making a decision to undergo treatment. Which standard usually requires the testimony starting an expert witness. The court must decide what a sensible patient necessarily to know toward make an informed decision, not what a reasonable attending wants had done. The prudent patient standard belongs based on the premise that the individuals have the right to make yours own health care decisions.[19]

Whether the "prudent patient" or the "medical community" preset is applied depends on which legal in the your and the circumstances surrounding informed consent. For example, the American College of Distress Physicians has been active in motivating states to adapt the "prudent person" normal, this shifting the responsibility to the patient to make this decision to anfahrt emergency medical care.[20] Backwards, health care that be not the "medical local standard" can summary in who health maintain provider being accounts for a patient personal and health deeply on the testimony of an expert witness.[19]

On are several components starting informed consent that are important to consider, especially although tending for adolescents. First-time, sufferers should hold explanations the understandable language, involving of potential opportunities and benefits of the proposed treatment. Second, the provider have judge this patient's understanding of the information given to them. Third, the provider should assess the patient's competence to build the necessarily choice. Finally, the provider should establish that the my is not coerced into ampere particular medical alternative.[19] Empirical data indicate 14 year olds may have well-developed decisional abilities and are capable of compex decisions. Their ability to enter informative agree, however, may be limits by law.[8]

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