Physician supports Atkins’ AB 499
There has been a great deal of discussion on the editorial page about Assembly member Toni Atkins’ AB 499, a commonsense measure which would allow minors to consent to receive STD prevention medical care. As a physician who provides reproductive health care, I wholeheartedly support this commonsense measure. It is unconscionable to deny medical care that prevents STDs while allowing minors to access treatment after they’ve already been exposed.
Health care advocates like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Health Officers Association of California, and the California STD Controllers Association all support Assembly member Atkins’ bill.
Planned Parenthood believes that parents should be involved with medical decisions such as STD prevention, which is why Planned Parenthood has several programs aimed at fostering healthy communication between parents and teens. Most parents want to be involved in their teen’s health care and most are – that’s the good news. However, for many teens, good family communication is not possible or may actually be dangerous. That’s why California allows teens to access confidential care for contraception, pregnancy and STD medical services, mental health care, and drug abuse treatment. We need to close the treatment gap and create greater access to prevention for young people.
Katharine Sheehan, M.D.
Medical Director
Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest