karent wrote:
You know that article is about a school in New Zealand, right? Has anyone asked the counselors at their kids' schools how they would handle that situation?
It has happened here too, but on a smaller scale. The way the law is, ANY minor can get birth control, or an abortion without the parents consent or knowledge. It's called "reproductive rights". The only exception, by law, is that any abortion done to a child under 14 is supposed to be reported to the state. Planned Parenthood has a history of not reporting these.
The total irony in this, is that for any other medical care or procedures, with the exception of birth control or abortion, even for an ear piercing or a tattoo, under 18 must have the parents consent.
Here is a good example for you. When i was doing my clinical hours at Saint Catherine's for my EMT certification many years ago, a girl of 15 came in with an obvious compound fracture of her right forearm. Since her injury was not life threatening, permission from her parent or grandparent had to be obtained before she was treated. Now, if she walked into a medical facility for an abortion, she wouldn't need a parents consent or knowledge.