B.C. parents are mobilizing to try to regain the authority they say their government is wrestling away from them.
The province’s Infants Act has received Royal Assent and is now law. Passed in the legislature last summer, its provisions, which allow children under the age of 19 to choose their own health care, were pushed through with a minimum lf fuss.
Parents are only now waking up to the implication of the legislation.. Doctors will be required to make sure children understand what is happening before making a decision on a medical procedure. After that, no matter how old they are, the children will be able to choose their own health care.
Critics say decisions on everything from abortions to cosmetic surgery can be made by children now independent of their parents wishes.
“Parental authority has been taken over by governments, bureaucrats and so-called family experts,” said Hilda Krieg, president of Surrey-Delta Pro-Life.
She said the legislation increases the potential for abuse of children.
John Hof, president of the B.C. Campaign Life Coalition, said there’s nothing anyone can do about the legislation until the B.C. New Democrats are out of office.
“The Socred party had been decimated and nobody was on the ball,” when the legislation was passed, he said. “It slipped through the cracks.”
The government argues that the previous law was contrary to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms because it made distinctions between minors of different ages. The legislation was needed, according to the government, to correct the legal loophole which allowed children under 16 to consent to medical care while denying the same privilege to children 16-18 years old.
Officials defend the new provisions, saying the child’s consent is allowed only when the treatment is understood thoroughly, and when the health professional considers treatment in his or her best interests.
But many don’t think the legislation is do benign.
A major sticking point is the widening of the definition of what constitutes a medical practitioner. A “health care provider” now includes anyone certified to provide health care, not just doctors, in the province. This could be school counsellors, public health nurses, psychologists and therapist.
The legislation prevents these health care professionals from informing parents about the procedure until the child agrees. This could mean parents of children under 19 would theoretically have no say on such issues as contraception or abortions for their children.
Parents are also concerned that children could refuse treatment which is beneficial to them. They are now asking whether a child could refuse to have a cavity filled, for instance, or to get vaccinated.
Dr. Judith Hall, head of Pediatrics at the B.C. Children’s Hospital and at the University of B.C. told concerned citizens the new law would be worst for seriously ill children. She suggested these children could elect to end treatment which they no longer feel they want.
“They are competent to understand the therapy, and may make a choice that would not be our medical choice or their parent’s medical choice,” she said.
