Two model bills for minors' consent for health services have been published in Pediatrics in 1973, one espoused by the Youth Committee of AAP, the other by the Society of Adolescent Medicine.1-2
In my endeavor to promote the concept of the bills among pediatricians, I became aware that an important discrepancy regarding birth control in the AAP bill is not clearly evident to the reader. One should be cognizant of it before initiating legislation.
Although "contraceptive advice and devices" are included in the definition of "Health Services" in the AAP bill, section three dealing specifically with minors' consent limits it to "any minor who professes or is found to be pregnant."
The Engagement Model, Transition Processes and a New Definition of Health
