
Florida teens may be blocked from birth control, STI treatment without parental consent
A measure that would make minors in Florida get parental consent for birth control and treatment for sexually transmitted infections goes against guidance from the nation's leading association for obstetricians and gynecologists.
A bill entitled "Parental Rights" (SB 1288) by Sen. Erin Grall, R-Fort Pierce, which has passed through its first two committees, would nullify an existing state law that allows for a physician to prescribe birth control or STI treatment for those under 18.
But the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) supports 'confidential" care, as "it is even more crucial for adolescents because the lack of confidentiality can be a barrier to the delivery of reproductive health care services." This includes confidentiality in billing and insurance claims.
According to guidance provided by ACOG: 'Even though policies should encourage and facilitate communication between a minor and her parent or guardian when appropriate, legal barriers and deference to parental involvement should not stand in the way of needed contraceptive care for adolescents who request confidential services.'
Dr. Anne-Marie Amies Oelschlager, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington, said based on her clinical experience, what patients tell her when their parents step out of the room is often different from what is said in front of them.
'I want to ask every single person in that (legislature) if they would call up their mother and tell their mother every single thing they've done sexually in their life,' Oelschlager told the USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida.
'It's not uncommon for adolescents to hold back information from their parents," she added. "It's part of respecting boundaries between a parent and a child.'
Grall stood by her position that if a child has an STI and needs treatment, a parent should know. A more hardline earlier version of the bill originally required parental consent for just STI testing, but lawmakers amended the bill, allowing minors to get tested for STIs without parental consent.
'I believe their needs can be best met with parenting. I get that it's hard, and I get that everything's not perfect, but it doesn't mean we say 'OK government, you can do better,' ' Grall said at a recent Senate committee meeting.
The bill would not prevent a minor from buying birth control or emergency contraception over the counter, like condoms or Plan B. It does, however, penalize with a misdemeanor charge any health care provider who prescribes birth control pills or related medication without a parent or guardian's consent.
'You could have a child that has HIV, and you would not be informed as a parent. You could have a child that has syphilis who needs certain types of treatment. That treatment could interact with other things that that child either has, a reaction to, an allergy to … and those are things that parents know. A provider may not know, and a parent should know when a child is getting treatment,' Grall said.
At the first committee hearing in the Senate, Grall said she did not consult with medical professionals when drafting the original policy.
From 2017 to 2021, syphilis rates rose 82% in Florida and increased 72% nationwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Congenital syphilis, which occurs when syphilis is passed to a baby during pregnancy, rose 88% in Florida during this time period, and 219% nationwide.
Chlamydia and gonorrhea are often asymptomatic, Oelschlager said, and left untreated can lead to life-changing consequences.
In women, untreated chlamydia and gonorrhea cause inflammation in the cervix, which can travel up into the uterus and into the fallopian tubes. Patients can get intense inflammation, infection and scarring from the untreated STIs. Oelschlager said she's had adolescent patients admitted to the hospital because of severe infections.
"I understand the need to want to make sure my children are healthy and safe, and I also want to know if they're in a dangerous situation or if they've been hurt, but also understand they're never going to tell me everything that they would tell their doctor about their private sexual lives,' Oelschlager said.
Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Birth control and parental consent debated in Florida bill
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Medscape
25 minutes ago
- Medscape
Fast Five Quiz: Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Although diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is characterized by aggressive clinical behavior, standard treatment can provide good long-term survival outcomes. However, management can be complex, with certain comorbidities exacerbating disease severity and complications such as extranodal involvement significantly affecting prognosis. Understanding the nuances of DLCBL presentation, diagnosis, and management is key to delivering the best outcomes to patients affected by this rapidly progressive disease. What do you know about DLBCL? Check your knowledge with this quick quiz. Both primary and secondary Sjögren syndrome are strongly associated DLBCL. Other autoimmune disorders that have been associated with DLBCL include hemolytic anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and Crohn's disease. In addition to autoimmune disorders, viral infections have also been linked to DLBCL; these include HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and Epstein-Barr. Further, data have shown that patients with rheumatic diseases have a heightened risk of DLBCL development. Though fugal or bacterial pneumonia, humoral deficiency, and bone infections (such as osteomyelitis) can occur in patients with DLBCL, data have indicated that survivors of DLBCL were more likely to experience these conditions, rather than being strongly linked to DLBCL itself. Learn more about DLBCL staging. In the NCCN's guidelines, PET/CT is the preferred modality for imaging in DLBCL workup. C/A/P CT with contrast can also be used in a complementary setting to help stage the disease and identify other factors such as extranodal disease or visceral involvement, but it is not preferred. Although not essential, head CT/MRI or neck CT/MRI with contrast (as well as bone marrow biopsy) can be useful for workup in selected cases. Specifically, bone marrow biopsy can be helpful in identifying indolent or low-volume disease. However, the NCCN notes that bone marrow biopsy is not needed if PET/CT shows bone disease. Learn more about DLBCL workup. Data indicate that extranodal involvement occurs in approximately 30%– 50% of patients with DLBCL; further, it is reported that gastrointestinal involvement is the most common extranodal site. Other affected sites include the skin, bones, spleen, and central nervous system; kidneys, testicles, and the liver can also be impacted, but they are not regarded as the most common. Learn more about DLCBL and extranodal involvement. A population-based study involving over 30,000 patients with extranodal DLBCL found that the best outcomes are associated with heart and mediastinal sites, with a 42% reduction in mortality risk compared with involvement of the intestinal tract. Involvement of the pancreas and hepatobiliary system, respiratory system, or nervous system are associated with significantly greater risks of mortality compared with the intestinal tract. Other factors associated with greater mortality risk include late age at onset, history of other malignancy, late age at presentation, and Black, non-Hispanic ethnicity. Learn more about DLBCL prognosis. CAR T therapy is typically utilized as a second-line treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL. CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy is considered ' the standard of care' for relapsed/refractory DLBCL, with three treatments approved for this population. Although a number of factors can lead to CAR T cell therapy resistance, the key mechanism is typically down regulation or loss of CD19 expression. Abnormal differentiation and dysfunction of T cells can also cause poor response to CAR T therapy, and being unable to collect enough T cells can also negatively affect the impact of CAR T products; however, these factors are not considered key mechanisms for resistance to CAR T-cell therapy. As such, early collection of T-cells in high-risk patients with DLBCL is one strategy to ensure enough T cells are available when needed. Partial response or relapse after CAR T therapy should prompt third-line therapy, such as alternative systemic therapy not previously given, clinical trial, palliative involved-site radiation therapy, or best supportive care. Learn more about relapsed or refractory DLBCL.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
HHS reinstates more than 450 CDC employees fired in April reorganization, including childhood lead poisoning team
The US Department of Health and Human Services is reinstating more than 450 employees at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who were fired as part of a massive reorganization in April, including workers focused on HIV and childhood lead exposure. More than 200 employees had their firings rescinded at the CDC's National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD and Tuberculosis Prevention, along with 158 at the National Center for Environmental Health, an HHS spokesperson confirmed. Another 71 were brought back in the Office of the Director and two dozen more at the Global Health Center. The reinstatements represent almost 20% of the 2,400 CDC employees who HHS said it was dismissing in a mass Reduction in Force, or RIF, in April. The cuts also affected employees across the US Food and Drug Administration, the US National Institutes of Health and the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, but an HHS spokesperson said Wednesday's reinstatements applied only to employees at the CDC. 'Under Secretary Kennedy's leadership, the nation's critical public health functions remain intact and effective,' HHS Director of Communications Andrew Nixon said in a statement. 'The Trump Administration is committed to protecting essential services – whether it's supporting coal miners and firefighters through NIOSH, safeguarding public health through lead prevention, or researching and tracking the most prevalent communicable diseases. 'HHS is streamlining operations without compromising mission-critical work,' he continued. 'Enhancing the health and well-being of all Americans remains our top priority.' Fox News earlier reported the reinstatements. The cuts had wiped out the CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and Surveillance Branch as it was in the midst of helping the city of Milwaukee address a lead exposure crisis in its public schools. The firings meant the CDC had to deny a request from the city for specialists to help. US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was repeatedly pressed by reporters and lawmakers over the situation, and he said he didn't intend to eliminate the branch. On Wednesday, the entire lead team was rehired, along with its parent group, the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, according to its newly reinstated director, Dr. Erik Svendsen. 'You previously received a notice regarding the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) upcoming reduction in force (RIF),' read an email to reinstated employees, obtained by CNN, who had been put on administrative leave since the notice of their dismissal. 'That notice is hereby revoked. You will not be affected by the upcoming RIF.'


CNN
4 hours ago
- CNN
HHS reinstates more than 450 CDC employees fired in April reorganization
Federal agencies Health care policyFacebookTweetLink Follow The US Department of Health and Human Services is reinstating more than 450 employees at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who were fired as part of a massive reorganization in April, including workers focused on HIV, lead exposure and workplace safety. More than 200 employees had their firings rescinded at the CDC's National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD and Tuberculosis Prevention, along with 158 at the National Center for Environmental Health, an HHS spokesperson confirmed. Another 71 were brought back in the Office of the Director and two dozen more at the Global Health Center. The reinstatements represent almost 20% of the 2,400 CDC employees who HHS said it was dismissing in a mass Reduction in Force, or RIF, in April. The cuts also affected employees across the US Food and Drug Administration, the US National Institutes of Health and the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, but an HHS spokesperson said Wednesday's reinstatements applied only to employees at the CDC. 'Under Secretary Kennedy's leadership, the nation's critical public health functions remain intact and effective,' HHS Director of Communications Andrew Nixon said in a statement. 'The Trump Administration is committed to protecting essential services – whether it's supporting coal miners and firefighters through NIOSH, safeguarding public health through lead prevention, or researching and tracking the most prevalent communicable diseases. 'HHS is streamlining operations without compromising mission-critical work,' he continued. 'Enhancing the health and well-being of all Americans remains our top priority.' The cuts had wiped out the CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and Surveillance Branch as it was in the midst of helping the city of Milwaukee address a lead exposure crisis in its public schools. The firings meant the CDC had to deny a request from the city for specialists to help.