Historically, minors had no right to consent to their own health care treatment. Illinois law required providers to obtain a parent’s or guardian’s consent to treat any minor person, defined in Illinois as an individual under the age of 18. However, that rule sometimes created a barrier to care when the parent was unavailable — for example, when the minor was living independently of the parents. Additionally, even when parents were available, the patient may have been reluctant to share with the doctor critical but sensitive information, knowing that the doctor would have to disclose it to the parent.
To address those issues, in 1990, the legislature passed the original Consent by Minors to Medical Procedures Act. This law carved out exceptions to parental consent by allowing certain groups of minors (such as married minors) to consent to, and maintain the confidentiality of, their own medical care. However, the law applied only to consent for care rendered by medical and osteopathic physicians, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, and dentists, thus excluding care rendered by chiropractic physicians (and licensed optometrists).
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