Minors' rights to refuse medical treatment requested by their parents: remaining issues.
Nurse practitioners are regularly faced with ethical and legal dilemmas when providing care to minors. Laws may not provide clear direction; there may even be conflicting precedents regarding the status of minors, particularly with regard to the juvenile justice system. This article reviews the status of minors' rights with regard to refusing or consenting to medical tests or treatments. Three cases from one author's (DPG) practice illustrate the issues involved.
Griswold
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Student Health Services, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA. dgriswol@fau.edu
Griswold
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D000293:Adolescent; D003270:Contraceptive Agents; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D008297:Male; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D028701:Patient Rights; D010808:Physical Examination; D011258:Pregnancy Tests; D018907:Privacy; D016312:Treatment Refusal / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*
D003270:Contraceptive Agents