(TargetLiberty.org) – According to Maryland law, minors don’t require their parent’s approval to get birth control. In fact, parents don’t have to be informed at all. A new proposal could result in a drastic change to this law.
The bill in question was introduced in the Maryland House of Delegates and would limit the types of contraception that a minor can obtain without having to first inform their parents. It would also require that anyone under the age of 18 has written permission from a parent or guardian before getting implantable rods or intrauterine devices. Contraceptives like patches and birth control pills would still be available without parental permission.
Neil Parrott, one of the delegates that proposed the new bill, was inspired by a mother who discovered her daughter had gotten a Nexplanon implant while at school. The girl, who was 16, started experiencing pain in her arm and headaches after the implant. She eventually needed the implant removed because it was inserted into the wrong part of the arm.
Minors in Maryland have the legal right to get birth control on their own. But now state lawmakers are trying to change that. A new bill would make certain kinds of birth control subject to parental approval, which, for many minors, simply isn't an option. https://t.co/sRwHz8CoVZ
— Center for Reproductive Rights (@ReproRights) January 19, 2020
This is a hotly debated topic on both sides of the aisle. Some groups, like the Center for Reproductive Rights, argue that birth control would be more difficult to access for minors. Others believe that parents should have the right to ensure the safety of their children.
In a statement to CNN, Parrott voiced what many people on the other side of the debate have expressed, “Minor surgery should not be performed by public school health care professionals when parents or legal guardians don’t even know about the procedure.”
If the bill passes, it will go into effect later this year.
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