The Family Rights and Responsibilities Act received little attention when it passed the legislature earlier this year. The bill has some very positive attributes and incorporates some common sense ideas. But we also have some concerns.
We encourage parents to sign healthcare form that gives a school nurse or school the ability to treat their child when necessary. Parents make the decision. Any exceptions simply include them. We think it all works out in the end, but if tweaks need to be made we need to adjust.
This bill prohibits a government entity, healthcare provider, or other person from knowingly taking any of the following actions concerning a minor without first obtaining the consent of a parent of the minor: (i) treating, professing to diagnose, operating on, or prescribing for any physical ailment, physical injury, or deformity; (ii) prescribing, dispensing, delivering, or administering any drug or medication; (iii) rendering certain psychological services; or (iv) rendering certain counseling services.
As applied by the state’s health department, the law fundamentally alters how public health doctors and nurses interact with teenage patients seeking preventative care at their local public health clinics — often the only available option for teens needing these services in rural Tennessee counties.
Public healthcare providers who violate the law are subject to have their licenses revoked, suspended, or not renewed — and can be sued by parents if they don’t share information that is “relevant to the physical, emotional or mental health of the child.”
For Bill Language: https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB2749
See News Story https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-news/school-nurses-urge-parents-to-sign-medical-waiver-for-students-due-to-new-tn-law/
