Verified answer

It may strike you as odd but here in the UK, if a person is considered mature enough to make an informed decision then even as in the draft legislation you refer to, a 12 year old would be able to consent to medical procedures without parental consent. The simple fact is that such operations as sterilizations have almost never taken place in UK because the criteria are so very rarely met. The actual effect of the bill is more likely to be that older patients who are not considered able to make an informed choice require additional consent from a guardian.

*In UK law, there is no "medical age of consent" at all!

Basically, she probably got pregnant without their permission, so she needs to seek a remedy that doesn't require their permission. In some cases, even letting her parents know that she's pregnant is problematic. They might beat her and/or throw her out of the house. Or the pregnancy might be a result of incestual rape. Or the mom's boyfriend might have raped the girl (doesn't TECHNICALLY qualify as incest). One of my husband's nieces had to go live with her grandparents (his parents) because his sister KNEW that her boyfriend was molesting that kid, but she was unwilling to kick the boyfriend out of the house. If the kid had turned up pregnant, she might not have been able to go through the legal system in time to get an abortion without her parents' knowledge and possibly permission. You also have to consider that in some religions and cultures, a girl who even associates with unrelated males is considered a slut, and is at risk for "honor" killing, though I find such concepts to be extremely dishonorable. It would be great if a girl's parents would help her and guide her if she finds herself pregnant. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. And abortion is a very time-sensitive issue...waiting even a month or two might change that first trimester pregnancy into a second trimester pregnancy, where the risks and costs of an abortion are higher. Many teens don't have extremely regular cycles, and by the time a teen realizes that she's late, she might have less than a month before she goes into the second trimester. She might also be in denial for a month or two as well. A pregnant teen (or a pregnant woman, for that matter) has a very small window of time to make a decision.

That is insane. We don't let young people drink, drive, vote, serve in the military, etc. Yet, we let them get sterilized? WOW. That is SOOO wrong! Religion aside, this is wrong. Once you add religion to it, this would be a powder keg. Common sense should tell the person that this is wrong. It is also beyond wrong to allow a 12 year old to consent to electro shock therapy.

What is going on in Australia?! WOW

For those who say the parents have no consent of the body of the child then if the child does not want eat nutritous food and just twinkies, the parents have to say "that's ok, I don't care if you are vitamin defecient" or if the child cuts themselves "well that is their right and if they want to cut themselves then so be it". If a child does not want to eat the parents have to say "its their body, so if they die I guess there is nothing I can do". Children are not responsible and we cannot hold them to a level of responsibility we hold adults. End of story as far as I am concerned. I mean, come on.

I do agree that the website may be biased but if this is even remotely true, I think its wrong

I think that that is an extremely biased website and you shouldn't believe everything they say. Do a little more independent research (and not just on christian websites) and then come to a rational and educated decision about whether or not this is true or right.

It is likely a way for children who have been denied mental healthcare by there parents to actually get the treatment that they need. But this website is cherry picking and exageratting to make a dramatic story out of something that is probably not a big deal.

I just looked it up and read several from different sources. There are more sites writing about that than I can count so it's not a one bias site. The bias you will see is to who is writing it but not the purposed law.

It's the usual kids should have access to any birth control they want spill for the most part.

I feel we are responsible for them up to a certain age and that's the end of it. Until than parents should decide. (If the parent is not able I could see so discussion)

Seems government all over want to have more control over our kids than we do.

It's a purposed bill alright. Australia does have some wacky people trying to make wacky laws- Don't we all.

Some there really thinks that children should decide something like that? That is just crazy.

I think government is working hard to take away parents rights more just like in Hitler's day. It will come to us if they let that pass.

Sounds like a piece of crackpot legislation proposed by a moron of a legislator. If it gets any serious support, Australians need to vote those supporters out of office. I rather expect this will simply disappear from lack of interest though

There is no moral question about the issue. What a person chooses to to do to their own body is there business.

Parents are entitled to make some decisions for their children, but they do not have dominion of their bodies.

That's what happens when people stop believing in God. Morality goes down the feet.

Nonsense, like the bit about "after birth abortions" being legalised, Christians from the US will believe pretty much anything