Mississippi state Rep. Lee Yancey has introduced House Bill 1100, which prohibits a health care provider from giving medical treatment to a minor without the approval of a parent or guardian.
“Current Mississippi law,” Yancey advises, “allows a child under 18 to participate in medical research without the parent's notice, or consent, whenever the federal government authorizes it.”
Yancey mentioned the federal government because Mississippi and other states are aware the Biden administration is using a 2022 federal law, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, to set up school-based health care services. The concern is that guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Education are using a special-needs student policy to eliminate parental consent on public school campuses. (Parental rights is addressed on page 33).
The federal law also caught the attention of the Oklahoma legislature, where Rep. Clay Staires has introduced HB 3324 that protects parents’ rights in health care.
Under current Mississippi law, Yancey says, some under-18 medical records are blocked from parents. The legislation also improves the definition of a legal custodian, too, he says.
Rep. Yancey’s legislation has passed the Mississippi House and is now being debated in the state Senate.
