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New York Hospital Allows Kids To Keep ‘Sensitive’ Medical Information From Parents

REUTERS/Allison Joyce

Chrissy Clark Contributor
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A New York hospital system — under the guidance of state law — is allowing kids to keep “sensitive” medical information private from their parents, according to an update from NewYork-Presbyterian.

NewYork-Presbyterian informed parents that New York state law now allows adolescents to keep their medical information private and to consent to some of their own medical treatments, possibly including abortion. Under the law, patients aged 12-17 will be the primary point of contact for their medical information and treatment plans, according to New York-Presbyterian’s website.

The website claims that teenagers should communicate one-on-one with medical providers to build trust and “transition to adulthood.”

“New York State law allows adolescents to keep their sensitive medical information private and to consent to some of their own medical treatments. Especially for adolescents, the doctor-patient relationship is built on trust,” the website reads. “Adolescents should play a large role in their personal care as they transition to adulthood, and should use tools to monitor their health and communicate with their clinical providers.”

Parents are informed that they can create a “proxy account” that “provides access to most of an adolescent’s account, while maintaining the confidentiality of the adolescent.” A teen’s portal must be registered under an email that is “used solely by [the] teen.” Family email addresses are not allowed, according to NewYork-Presbyterian’s website.

The New York law that permitted grant research to the Department of Health, which called to withhold adolescents’ medical information from parents, passed during the state’s 2017-2018 legislative session. Grant funding from the bill allowed the state’s Department of Health to produce a “Healthy Teens Initiative.”

The “Healthy Teens Initiative” calls on hospitals to “guarantee confidentiality and adolescents’ rights to consent to sexual and reproductive health care.” The guide specifically states that abortion is accessible to teens without parental notice.

Health providers are encouraged by the state government to withhold information from parents.

“Even when the parent/guardian consents, a provider cannot reveal medical information if the provider believes disclosure would be detrimental to the minor’s care or to the minor’s relationship with parents/guardians or with the provider,” the guide reads.

NewYork-Presbyterian did not respond to the Daily Caller’s inquiry into whether “gender affirming” surgeries for kids aged 12-17 would be considered sensitive medical information that will not be divulged to parents.

Rolling back parents’ rights to their children’s medical information is not limited to New York or blue states. An Arizona-based health care provider allows 12-year-olds to create health accounts that access prescription drug refills without parental review or supervision. (RELATED: Arizona Hospitals Allows 12-Year-Olds To Limit Parent Access To Health Records)

Vanderbilt Health System in Nashville, Tennessee, created a “mature minor” doctrine that reportedly allows kids to make their own medical decisions, including scheduling private one-on-one appointments with doctors who can begin gender transition treatment.