New data on LawAtlas.org capture details of state-level laws that allow individuals younger than the legal “age of majority” the authority 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 December 31, 2024.
As of December 31, 2024, 49 states and the District of Columbia have a law that expressly allows minors to consent to receive STI services — South Carolina and Puerto Rico are the only jurisdictions included in this dataset that do not have these laws.
Of the 50 jurisdictions with minors’ consent laws for STI services, 47 states and the District of Columbia include treatment, 20 states and the District of Columbia include preventive services, and eight states include STI counseling or consultation in their laws as of December 31, 2024.
Between May 31, 2022, and December 31, 2024, four states (Arkansas, Massachusetts, Nevada, and New Mexico) and the District of Columbia amended their laws to allow minors to consent to HIV services.
The data also show
16 states expressly allow minors to consent to HIV testing,
16 states expressly allow minors to consent to HIV treatment,
11 states expressly allow minors to consent to both HIV testing and HIV treatment,
5 states expressly allow minors to consent to HIV prophylaxis,
10 states and the District of Columbia have an exception that allows minors to consent to healthcare services in general.
“Minors’ consent laws aim to broaden access to services that prevent the spread of STIs and HIV,” said Kerri McGowan Lowrey, JD, MPH, former Director for Grants Management & Research at the Legal Resource Center for Public Health Policy and the lead researcher on this project. “These data provide a valuable expansion of our understanding of the legal landscape for minors and will help us better understand the way these laws may prevent the spread of infection and improve health.”
This dataset was created by Legal Resource Center for Public Health Policy at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law (LRC) in collaboration with the Temple University’s Center for Public Health Law Research (CPHLR).
The dataset was created using policy surveillance, a scientific legal mapping tool to create high quality legal data.
The Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University Beasley School of Law creates and advances research on the health effects of laws and policies. Learn more at phlr.temple.edu.