authorization to treat if pregnant and 15??

Cienna2000 · Aug 4, 2007

I do not know about your state laws, but here in Oregon we can treat patients age 15 & older without parental consent (though the parents still get the bill).

suzanne4, RN · Aug 4, 2007

Each state has their own laws on this and it is not the same in each one. There are different ages for when a 15 year old can be considered emancipated and able to authorize her own treatment.

And in some states, they may be able to give approval for something being done to themselves, but if they have the baby, and the baby requires something done, then it will be the grandmother that gives approval for that. Usually cannot be done by the 15 year old.

Again, check the specifics for your state. You may be quite surprised by what you find.

azor · Aug 4, 2007

i know whaT you are saying but didnt you take brief hx to find out the girl might be having her period since you made mention that her lmp was 7/5 even before thehcg test?Again,the father is there.I dont know but i guess i have to re-read the Q.

Trauma Columnist · Aug 4, 2007

You need to check with your state laws as each one varies tremendously. Good luck.

danielleRN76 · Aug 5, 2007

i know whaT you are saying but didnt you take brief hx to find out the girl might be having her period since you made mention that her lmp was 7/5 even before thehcg test?Again,the father is there.I dont know but i guess i have to re-read the Q.

The triage nurse took the hx, I was just kinda observing for this one since I am still on orientation. We went into the room where the pt was crying and stating she had been bleeding huge dark clots at home, much much worse than a period, so the nurse drew labs, and started an IV. It wasn't 5 minutes after we entered the room that the MD was in to see her. (kind of a slow evening) If she HAD in fact been pg, I am sure that she would have been considered emancipated, but the fact is, she wasn't pg, but told us she had been in the past..... So if a 13 yr old was pg, had an abortion, does that mean that she can give her own consent when she is 14 and no longer pg, or a mother? I guess I am just confused. Thanks for your replies though!

Altra, BSN, RN · Aug 5, 2007

Check with your preceptor or nurse educator to find out your state's laws. As has been said here already, this varies tremendously from state to state.

For example, in my state, a pregnant minor is considered to be emancipated and able to consent for her own treatment. Once she is no longer pregnant, however, she is no longer emancipated unless she can demonstrate that she is her own source of support (this requires a legal proceeding), or marries. If she has the baby, she does retain the legal standing to make decisions regarding treatment, etc. for the baby. But not for herself ... go figure.

In the case you describe, I don't think there was anything done wrong. Pt. presented with a complaint r/t pregnancy and c/o heavy bleeding - I think any ER nurse would have done the same - start the line, draw labs and then sort it out.

elkpark · Aug 5, 2007

Your hospital pays a lot of money to have legal representation to answer these kinds of questions. I'm sure this is not the only time in the history of the hospital this question has come up, and I'm sure you're not the only person who's ever wondered what the "real" answer is. I would ask the hospital's legal department to be sure what the law is in your state; perhaps someone from the dept. could do an inservice for the ED nursing staff about the different kinds of tricky legal questions that periodically come up in the ED, and then everyone would be in agreement about what the correct answer is when the situation arises again.