The extent to which parents are, or should be, involved in their adolescent children’s sexual and reproductive health decisions is a complicated issue. No federal law guarantees adolescents the universal right to confidential services for contraception or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Many states have enacted laws that explicitly allow adolescents younger than 18 to consent to contraceptive services, and all states allow minors to consent to STD services to some extent; minor consent laws implicitly guarantee confiden- tiality. Yet the terms of these guarantees vary considerably from state to state. Moreover, the types of funding that a provider receives can determine whether confidentiality is guaranteed and whether parental involvement is required. Advocates of.
