Department of Health Denies Teens Certain Care Without Parental Consent - Articles

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Department of Health Denies Teens Certain Care Without Parental Consent

Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Jul 19, 2024

Public health clinics in Tennessee will no longer give teens access to certain health care — including birth control, sexually transmitted infection treatment and pregnancy testing — without parental consent, according to the Department of Health. The department's interpretation of the Family Rights and Responsibilities Act, which went into effect July 1, is changing the way doctors and nurses interact with teenage patients seeking care at public health clinics, Tennessee Lookout reports. Before the law took effect, teens 14 and older could access contraceptives, HIV and pregnancy tests, and a range of primary health care from public health clinics without parental consent. Now, the department is requiring that a parent be present or give verbal consent over the phone. The department also is interpreting the law to require that all health care providers obtain parental consent before offering counseling or psychological services, but it remains unclear how the state intends to apply this provision of the law to the spectrum of mental health professionals.