CT lawmakers debate parental rights for kids’ reproductive health services

CT Insider – Monday, March 17, 2025
By Cris Villalonga-Vivoni

As the national uncertainty around reproductive health care continues across the country, advocates and some lawmakers here are looking to update Connecticut’s statute to clarify further and define the youth’s access to care as it pertains to parents’ consent or approval.

Proposed by the Public Health Committee, HB 7213 allows youths under 18 years old to seek and consent to “pregnancy prevention” services – like contraceptives, prenatal care and pregnancy tests – without the consent or knowledge of a parent. If passed, the bill would bar health care providers from providing a patient’s parents with information on the consultation, procedure, treatment related to the care unless the minor consents to it.

“The goal of this bill is simple: to align Connecticut statute with the medical standard of care and ensure contraception and pregnancy-related care remain available to young people, just as we have protected other aspects of health care for minors in our state,” said Dr. Nancy Stanwood, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, during her testimony in support of the bill.

Connecticut law already allows minors 13 to 18 years old to receive emergency medical treatment, HIV testing, mental health services, abortions and STI tests without parental consent. However, providers in support of the new bill said that there’s no explicit language that allows minors to access contraceptives or pregnancy services, noting that the lack of clarity causes conflict and confusion among providers and patients.

The bill stirred long, heated debates in the Legislative Office Building Monday afternoon as supporters of the bill argued its passage would guarantee access to reproductive care for minors, while others questioned the need for it considering the already established standards.

The Connecticut Hospital Association submitted concerns about the bill’s language since, as it stands, it could have unintended consequences. It states explicitly that a Section 1 subsection places a broad prohibition, is inconsistent with HIPAA privacy rules, and asks for language to be updated.

“As drafted, Section 1 of HB 7213 would create a dangerously incomplete longitudinal medical record and is not designed for the current electronic health record environment.

Stanwood said when young people worry about the confidentiality of services, they’ll delay or may not get care, ultimately leading to worsened reproductive health outcomes. She said several leading health organizations – like the American Academy of Pediatrics – recommend that access to sexual reproductive health care happens without mandated parental involvement.

It’s rare for a patient to walk in their doors without a trusted adult at their side, Stanwood added. She said clinicians always encourage young patients to seek out their parents’ support while also screening for domestic abuse, coercion and more. If a young patient doesn’t tell their parents, Stanwood said, it is usually due to fear of abuse, loss of financial support and more.

“We know that mandating functional family conversations is not possible… We know that putting barriers to care hurts our youth. This bill is protective of our youth,” Stanwood said.

A few lawmakers shared their confusion regarding what’s already in law, how the proposed bill changes it, how it impacts parents and even if the bill is really needed.

“In Hartford, we talk all the time on so many different bills that the brain is not completely developed until you’re 25,” said state Rep. Anne Dauphinais, R-Killingly, who shared concerns about how the bill ultimately leaves the parents out. “How is it that you think that minor children are capable of making some of these very, very complex decisions and serious ones?”

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