Health care providers are not legally required to notify parents about an adolescent‘s pregnancy or sexually-transmitted disease, for fear that minors may not seek care if their confidence is broken.  But in situations of abuse, the rules change. Doctors, nurses and social workers are among the professionals obligated under New York State law to report suspected child abuse -- physical or sexual. Neglecting to do so is a class A misdemeanor.

What happens if an adolescent discloses abuse to a healthcare provider and says he or she does not want family members or police notified?

Providers may feel conflicted, with a responsibility to both their patients and their patients‘ parents. They should address the concerns of the patient, who may not have the maturity to understand such complex situations, by explaining the consequences of reporting the abuse. And they should arrange appropriate medical and emotional care.

Providers have a duty to work with child abuse specialists to assist the family in reaching the best possible outcome for the victim of abuse.

 The Upstate Ethicist is compiled from “Bioethics in Brief,” a publication of Upstate‘s Center for Bioethics and Humanities.

Find this and other stories in the winter issue of Upstate Health magazine.