OCR Text |
Show THE SALT LAKE TIMES FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1971 Minors Obtaining Birth Control Material Without Parent Consent ned Parenthood teen-ag- e centers sion in law, policy and legal and university-base- d and free precedent which leads many phyclinics in many areas. A develop- sicians and clinics to shy away ing rule, recognized by many from provision of birth control courts even in the absence of services to minors without parstatutes, recognizes that mature ental consent. Typical is New minors can give effective consent York State, where licensed pharfor medical treatment, where the macies may sell contraceptives to procedure is for the benefit of minors 16 years or older; where the minor and where it is such under criminal law statutory that the minor can understand its rape cannot be committed where nature and consequences. This the female is over the age of 17; enlarges upon the concept of the where minors may marry at 18 emancipated minor, the young without parental consent; or obperson living separate from par- tain legal abortions in New York ents or guardian who manages City at 17 without parental conher own financial affairs and is sent. The trend in legislation and permitted to consent to her own medical treatment. the courts has been overwhelmAs significant as perhaps ingly in the direction of emphaeven more significant than the sizing that minors have rights, of and law liberalization public including constitutional rights, policy, is the change in attitude the authors note, and that they of physicians themselves as ex- are not simply the property of emplified in new policies adopt- their parents to dispose of as they ed by the major U.S. medical or- wish. ganizations, the lawyers mainDispensing contraceptives is tain. They point out that the only part of the overall sex counAmerican Medical Association seling service provided at Yale. (AMA) and the American Col- College students need and want lege of Obstetricians and Gyne- to talk about much more than the cologists (ACOG) as well as the relative merits of pill vs. IUD or American Academy of Pediatrics how to use a diaphragm. Some and the American Academy of students need help in deciding Family Physicians have all en- whether or not to have sexual redorsed the principal that physi- lations; some come in with a sex cians should provide contracep- problem that may appear devative services to unmarried sexu stating to them but which, usually active minors if in their ally, is minor and transient; medical judgment to do so is in some need help to explore the best interest of their patients. relationships; some susIn its most recent statement, in pect they are pregnant, and come May, ACOG urged that legal for pregnancy testing and guidbarriers which restrict his (the ance about alternatives open to physicians) freedom should be them if the pregnancy is conremoved . . . even in the case of firmed. In our experience stuan uncmancipated minor who re- dents welcome an opportunity to fuses to involve her parents. think through the meaning of The attorneys note four major their sexuality and sexual betrends in legislation which will havior for themselves and their broaden minors access to con- partners in a warm and traception: atmosphere, the aurestatutes thors observe. Comprehensive In the two years of the service, garding the medical treatment of minors. Under these, minors 18 about 1,000 different students or over, or high school graduates, were served; in the first year, 65 or minors who have been preg- percent sought contraceptive nant may consent to any medical, services, the rest a variety of dental or health service, and other counseling services; in the physicians may render service to second year, 40 percent caine for minors of any age, without par- contraception, and there was an ental consent, if attempt to ob- increase in other types of countain consent could cause delay seling. The students were meticuincreasing risk to the minors life lous about keeping their appointor health. Such laws tend to spe- ments, and were persistent in cify (and usually liberalize) such their use of contraception. concepts as maturity, emergen- Eighty-fiv- e percent use the pill, 13 and emancipation. cy percent the diaphragm and planthe rest the IUD. A certain numComprehensive family at or ber sought and obtained legal ning laws which include, least do not exclude, minors. abortions, and some 300 were Typical is Colorado's 1971 stat- treated with the morning-afte- r ute calling for contraceptive sup- pill (a high dosage estrogen prodplies and information to be made uct). In the population they treated, readily and practically available to all persons regardless there was such a low incidence of sex, race, age, income, num- of venereal disease that routine ber of children, marital status, testing may be discontinued, accitizenship or motive. cording to the authors. Repeat Specific laws relating to pre- abortions were also Infrequent miand when they occurred referral scription of contraception to nors. was made to the college psychiStatutes relating to treatment atric service. for venereal disease. In addition to statutes, state male-fema- le non-judgmen- policies are also becoming more permissive, the attorneys note. Following the lead of the federal government, all state welfare department's, except Wisconsin's and Massachusetts, appear to have adopted a positive policy of providing contraception to un-to wed minors (or refer them where they can get it); and at least half of the states do not appear to require parental or guardian consent, according to the authors. Despite what they describe as the clear liberalizing trend, however, there is still a confu tal Helping Hand Not Pag Five Regional Meeting on Charity; Give to CARE Health Education Its known as charily on your income tax forms, but in reality contributions to CARE are a helping hand, said Miss Molly Farmin, Regional Director of CARE, reminded local residents today. The tax deductible donation to the 25 year old international development agency in turn is channeled to CAREs programs overseas that span the range of human needs, not only food, skill and knowledge to help the hungry feed and support themselves. Funds contributed to generous American and Canadian donors are multiplied because the people CARE helps are partners. They add what they can in supplies and labor; their governments share operating costs; the officials and community work leaders work closely with the CARE staff overseas. Food is translated into food production programs; health assistance becomes doctors, pure-watsystems; skills and knowltake the form of educaedge tional supplies, tradesman's tools and clinics, houses and schools. er Sheer charity is a thing of Miss Farmin said. CAREs goals are to turn the the past, tax deductible dollars into the materials, goods and services necessary to help those in developing countries reach self sufficiency, she said. The Regional CARE office is located at 444 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94111. River Basin Planning Grant Awarded Senator Frank E. Moss an- nounced a Water Quality Management grant for the Utah Lake-Jorda- n River Basin. This grant will develop a complete water quality management plan to meet water quality problems which include municipal, industrial, and agricultural waste discharge. The $200,000 grant will serve a population of 700,000 in Salt Lake, Utah and other surrounding counties. Date of the award was December 17, 1971. President Nixons recently-forme- d Committee on Health Education will hold a regional hearing in Denver Jan. 17 at the Post Office Building Auditorium. Its purpose will be to collect information about health programs and needs in the region, determine the effectiveness of current consumer oriented health education activities and uncover innovative local ideas and programs that can be implemented and expanded. Testimony will be taken from representatives of the public and consumer groups, as well as area health officials and educators, who are expected to describe the shortcomings and needs in the need as well as those programs they regard as particularly effective in awakening public understanding of health problems. Richard E. Boyle, M.D., Associate Director, Professional AcRetivities, Colorado-Wyomin- g gional Medical program, is chairman of the Regional Planning Council of local authorities appointed to help plan the hearing. This will be one of eight regional hearings being conducted across the country by the Presidents Committee, which is to recommend a new national policy empha sizing what the individual can do to prevent illness and enhance his own health. The committee was created by President Nixon in September to recommend ways of developing a sense of health consumer citizenship in the general public. The regional hearings are a part of the first fact finding phase of the committees work. After they are completed in February the committee will analyze and evaluate all the testimony presented, together with additional data it is gathering from other sources. In this second phase of its work, it will attempt to identy the factors that influence personal decisions and actions regarding health. The third phase of the committee's work will involve making recommendations to the President concerning new approaches and programs for improving the publics health education and its final task will be David Trevithick, Postmaster For 21 Years, Succumbs David R. Trevithick Salt Lake City Postmaster David R. Trevithick passed away as a result of a heart attack when attempting to aid his wife who called and said she had car . trouble. Mr. Trevithick was appointed acting postmaster in. 1960 by President Harry S Truman and the appointment was ma.de permanent in 1951. Mr. Trevithick worked with national and local civic organizations and held many positions. He worked with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration in Europe and the Far East. In 1948 Mr. Trevithick was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Utah, opposing incumbent Governor Herbert B. .. Maw. lie had also been active with the Utah Association for Mental Health, Salt Lake City Family Service Society, Utah Association for the United Nations, and Salt Lake County March of Dimes. Funeral services were held Friday. to devise methods for impleits recommendations. menting What keeps Salt Lake City running? Every one of us uses an average of three gallons of oil every day . So do all the other 205 million Americans. Oil and natural gas supply 75 percent of our energy needs: almost all transportation, most of what is used for cooking and heating, more than 40 percent of all our electricity. A country that runs on oil can't afford to run short. Get the razor that getsihe Nubs. Your local Oil Companies Techmatic by Gillette. For more information write Utah Petroleum Council 10 West 3rd South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 ' it 0 . |