On January 23, 2006, the UK High Court rejected a review of guidelines that do not require parental consent for minors to receive contraception or abortion advice. A mother of five had brought a lawsuit hoping to change the law to prevent girls under 16 from getting confidential medical advice without parental notification. The UK Department of Health argued that confidentiality was necessary to the government's strategy to reduce teenage pregnancy and improve sexual health. A week after this decision, the British government rejected petitions to reduce the legal time limit for abortions to 20 weeks. Currently in the UK, it is considered "good practice" for doctors to persuade minors to inform their parents, but doctors must still respect confidentiality.

Learn more about the laws governing abortion, contraception and parental notification from the JURIST news archives.

Also on This Day at Law:


Federal judge held California prison health care system unconstitutional
ICJ rejected Uruguay bid to end paper mill protest blockades