HB1248Dead
Clarify informed consent requirements for the provision of prenatal and postnatal care to a minor.
This bill allows pregnant minors to consent to their own prenatal, delivery, and postnatal medical care if a healthcare provider believes they have the mental capacity to do so, but only after the provider makes a reasonable effort to get parental consent and documents that effort. A minor can self-consent under this new rule only if their parent or guardian is unavailable or unable to consent due to mental or physical incapacity. The rule does not apply to legally emancipated minors, who already have broader consent rights.