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Question: Does a girl have the right to see a doctor to see if she is pregnant without her parents knowing?

Answer: In Arizona, unless a girl under age 18 is married, is in the armed forces, or unless her parents have acted in such a way that they lost parental rights (all three of these mean that she is an emancipated minor) it is unlikely that she can get medical care of any kind without her parent's consent, and therefore without their knowledge. A doctor cannot treat a patient without the consent of the patient, and a minor is probably not able to give consent under the law. (This is different for a girl over the age of 18, who is an adult and can do what she wants to do.)

A parent has the right and the duty to care for and control a child until they turn 18. This extends to making decisions about her medical care.

If a girl is in need of medical care (a pregnant girl needs prenatal care) and the parent is not providing it, then the girl may be able to get help from the state. However, this cannot be done without the parents knowing about it.

Although not specifically asked, abortion is a topic important to this answer. According to Arizona law (ARS ยง 36-2152), a minor cannot have an abortion unless she has written consent from one parent, or her guardian, or if a judge authorizes the abortion. This law allows a minor to file a petition for a hearing at which time the judge will decide if an abortion should go forward without the consent of the parents. This hearing can take place without the parents being informed.

A doctor may perform an abortion without permission from the parent or from a court if the minor certified to him that the pregnancy resulted from sexual conduct with a parent, stepparent, uncle, grandparent, sibling, adoptive parent, legal guardian, foster parent or a person who lives in the same household as the minor and her mother. He must then make a report to law enforcement officials, who will investigate.

A doctor may also perform an abortion if he believes, based on his review of the medical records of the minor that there is a medical condition that makes it necessary for an immediate abortion to save her life, or where delay will create a risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of major bodily function.


Comments
21 thru 25 of 38 comments
On 01/08/04
grammernazi from MN said:
you shouldnt get uptight about a childs punctuation they arnt that educated. Soooooooooooo...Don't, not, never, do that, to nobody...EVER!!!
On 01/05/04
Diana from NC said:
i strongly agree with her you should have the right to choose to have an abortion its your baby its your body even if a women who is 30 years old has an abortion it is still like a 16 or 17 year old having an abortion so basically its our body and is our responsibility and a parent shouldnt be involved we can make desicions by ourself just like any other women only because were young doesnt mean were different.
On 11/15/03
Kate from FL said:
In my opinion, not only should the girl have the right to see a doctor without her parent's consent, but she should also have the right to have an abortion should she be willing and in need of it. If a girl becomes pregnant, she's the one who must bear it. Not her parents. It's up to her and (if he's present), her boyfriend.
On 11/13/03
Brandon from MA said:
Does anyone else thing that Arizona is the crappiest state for laws? 75% of everything this site says is illegal is very legal in Mass. Joyriding? You CAN NOT, i repeat, CAN NOT get pulled over for just driving around. ANYWHERE IN AMERICA. Also no place in a metropolis area in the US has a curfew, for anyone. This site is just up to try and scare children into being moral. PS, your parents can't force you to go anywhere....aka church, school, etc. Very Unconstitutional!
On 11/07/03
CorrectEnglish from MD said:
PUNCTUATION IS YOUR FRIEND.
21 thru 25 of 38 comments



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