Government Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner is making a case for Barbadian teenagers under age 18 to be given the right to consult a doctor without parental permission.
She said the “anomaly” of Barbadian teenagers legally having sex at age 16 but not being permitted to consult a doctor independently must be addressed in the face of the rising tide of HIV infection among the island’s youth.
Speaking on a resolution related to the HIV question in the Senate today, Sandiford-Garner described the restriction as one of the “uncomfortable realities” in the fight against the spread of HIV, and “a restriction in law that undermines efforts at early detection.”“How can it be that you are armed with the knowledge that one in every four adolescents becomes sexually active between ten and 14 yet they cannot legally determine their HIV status confidentially until they are 18?” the senator asked.
Sandiford-Garner supported her position with alarming HIV/AIDS statistics in her lead statement on a resolution to endorse the national bipartisan approach of members to work with communities to prevent HIV, as well as the United Nations’ 2011 Political Declaration On HIV/AIDS. (GC)
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