Most states provide minors autonomy to consent to STI/HIV services
New data on LawAtlas.org capture details of state laws that allow individuals younger than the legal "age of majority" to autonomously consent to general health care, HIV and STI services. This longitudinal dataset includes state statutes and regulations for the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and captures changes in the law from May 31, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2024.
This report details the current state of laws allowing minors to consent to services for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV across the United States. As of December 31, 2024, 49 states and the District of Columbia have enacted such laws, with South Carolina and Puerto Rico being the exceptions. The majority of these jurisdictions permit minors to consent to STI services, with 47 states and the District of Columbia including treatment, 20 states and the District of Columbia covering preventive services, and eight states providing STI counseling or consultation.
The data, compiled by LawAtlas.org, covers state statutes and regulations from May 31, 2022, to December 31, 2024, and offers a comprehensive snapshot of how these laws have evolved over this period. Between these dates, four states and the District of Columbia made amendments to their statutes, expanding the age at which minors can autonomously consent to HIV services.
These laws are intended to enhance access to preventive and treatment services for STIs and HIV, ultimately aiming to curb the spread of these infections and improve public health outcomes.
The research was conducted by Kerri McGowan Lowrey, JD, MPH, a former director for Grants Management & Research at the Legal Resource Center for Public Health Policy, who led the project. The findings were produced in collaboration with Temple University's Center for Public Health Law Research. The dataset was created using policy surveillance, a specialized method of legal data collection, and published by the Center for Public Health Law Research.
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