Bill would require parental consent for STD exams
Parental consent would be required before minors could seek medical treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy or substance abuse if a proposed bill by Minnesota Republicans becomes law. The bill aims to rollback a 40-year-law that allows minors medical privacy.
The Rochester Post-Bulletin spoke with the bill's sponsor:
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"It seems if you talk to any parent, most would assume they have the right to know about the medical condition of their child," said Sen. David Hann, a Republican from Eden Prairie who sponsored the bill. "I think it's a surprise to find out that we don't."
The bill would make Minnesota the only state to require parental approval before a minor could be screened or treated for STDs [PDF].
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Today's photo
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"Friday April 15. A good day to burn things. Josh is seen here throwing some flames in the air. The cops didn't take long to show up. However, they just came to see the show. Little bit of photoshopping done to this one but overall I'm happy with the outcome. 42mm 1/8 sec f/10 ISO 250. SB 600 camera left 1/2 power." Credit Keith J Semmelink/Flickr