For more information on youth and family law, go to Directory of Family Help and click on your state.
A Minor’s Ability to Consent to an Ultrasound Examination and Pregnancy-Related Services
Adolescent Sexual Behavior and the Law An overview of statutory rape laws that were enacted to protect minors from sexual abuse and rape. However, more and more young people are finding themselves facing sexual assault charges, even when there is only a few years age difference and there has been no violence or victimization in the relationship. This report also addresses this problem.
Age of Consent Federal law makes it criminal to engage in a sexual act with another person who is between the age of 12 and 16 if they are at least four years younger. Each state takes a different approach as the age of consent has ranged from 10 to 18.
Alone Without A Home: A State-by-State Review of Laws Affecting Unaccompanied Youth Youth In Need of Supervision, statutes on status offenses (running away, truancy, curfew), statutes on emancipation, consent, confidentiality, and more.
An Overview of Minors’ Consent Laws by State In most cases, state consent laws apply to all minors age 12 and older.
Compulsory School Attendance Laws Listed by State
Drinking Age and Alcohol Laws for All 50 States
Marriage Laws for Minors Listed by State One requirement which is almost universal is that in order to be married without parental consent must be 18 years old or more. The one exception is in Nebraska, where it is 19 years old. Most states do not allow persons under 16 to get married.
Minors’ Access to Contraceptive Services by State U.S. Supreme Court rulings have extended the constitutional right to privacy to a minor’s decision to obtain contraceptives and have concluded that rights do not “come into being magically only when one attains the state-defined age of majority.” Physicians may provide medical care to a mature minor without parental consent, particularly if the state allows a minor to consent to related health services.
Minors’ Access to Prenatal Care by State The great majority of states and the District of Columbia currently allow a minor to obtain confidential prenatal care, including regular medical visits and routine services for labor and delivery. Some of these states, however, allow physicians to inform parents that their minor daughter is seeking or receiving services when they deem it in the best interests of the minor. In states that lack relevant policy or case law, physicians may commonly provide medical care to a mature minor without parental consent, particularly if the state allows minors to consent to related health services.
Minor Consent to Medical Treatment Laws
Minor’s Rights versus Parental Rights: Review of Legal Issues in Adolescent Health Care Although adolescents are considered to have limited decision-making capacity by many policy makers, there are occasions when adolescents can give informed consent without parental intervention.
Minors’ Access to STI Services All 50 states and the District of Columbia allow most minors to consent to testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and many explicitly include testing and treatment of HIV. Many states allow physicians to inform parents that the minor is seeking or receiving STI services when they deem it in the best interests of the minor.
Minors’ Health Consent Laws The legal ability of minors to consent to a range of sensitive health care services — including sexual and reproductive health care, mental health services and alcohol and drug abuse treatment — has expanded dramatically over the past 30 years. With regard to sexual and reproductive health care, many states explicitly permit all or some minors to obtain contraceptive, prenatal and STI/STD services without parental involvement. In contrast, the majority of states require parental involvement in a minor’s abortion. In most cases, state consent laws apply to all minors age 12 and older.
Parental Involvement in Minors’ Abortions A majority of states require parental involvement in a minor’s decision to have an abortion. Most of these states require the consent or notification of only one parent, usually 24 or 48 hours before the procedure, but a handful of states require the involvement of both parents. Many parental involvement requirements are waived if there is a medical emergency or the minor is the victim of abuse or neglect.
Sex and HIV Education This brief summarizes state-level sex and HIV education policies, as well as specific content requirements, based on a review of state laws, regulations and other legally binding policies.
State Laws Concerning Sport-Related Concussion Among Youth By the beginning of 2013, a total of 49 states and the District of Columbia had legislation to prevent concussions and to limit further injury to student athletes who sustain concussions, with most of these laws mandating that student athletes who experience a concussion be removed from play and obtain a health care provider’s permission before returning to play. Also read What are the Youth Football Laws in Your State?
State-by-Stte Provisions for Teenage Drivers Driving licensing requirements for the 50 US states and the District of Columbia from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
State Laws on Emancipation of Minors This page from the Cornell Law School links to the laws dealing with the emancipation of minors ― the provisions dealing with. when, and on what conditions children are released from parental authority and legally become ‘adults.
State Profiles of Adolescent and Young Adult Health Key measures of adolescent and young adult health, including substance abuse, mental health, violence, suicide, obesity and overweight, sexual behavior and health. These measures are known as the 21 Critical Health Objectives for Adolescents and Young Adults, from Healthy People 2010.