Minor Access to Prophylaxes in Massachusetts: STI Consent, the Mature Minor Rule, and the Definition of "Treatment"

The Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health is currently considering House and Senate bills to amend the Commonwealth’s emergency consent statute (Section 12F), which allows certain minors to self-consent to general medical care, and allows all minors to self-consent STI diagnosis and treatment.

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Navigating Minor Consent Laws Toward Confidential PrEP Access for Adolescents

According to the CDC, as of 2015, youth ages 13-24 comprised a staggering 22% of all new HIV infections in the United States. Given this alarming incidence rate, developing new and effective HIV prevention modalities for adolescents and young adults, and eliminating major delivery barriers, has become a priority. In the sphere area of biomedical HIV prevention for at-risk adolescents, one legal barrier looms large.

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