A teenager could be deemed competent for a specific health-care decision at age 16, 14 or, in some circumstances, even younger.Įthan Lindenberger testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 5, 2019. This must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. If an adolescent is capable of understanding the nature of the treatment and the relevant risks and benefits he or she will be considered a mature minor. (The law in Québec - which puts the age of consent at 14 - differs from the other provinces.)
In Canada, at least for most procedures, the age of consent is likely much younger than 18. In many countries around the world - including Canada - he would clearly be viewed as a legally competent adult, capable of making his own health-care decisions. He got immunized.Īt a time of rising vaccine hesitancy, growing concern about measles outbreaks and increasingly aggressive rhetoric by the “anti-vaxx” movement, public health advocates around the world hailed this small act of teenage rebellion.īut why was it viewed as such an unusual act? At the time of his decision Ethan was 18 years old. (Shutterstock) Timothy Caulfield, University of AlbertaĪ few months ago in the United States, Ohio teenager Ethan Lindenberger made headlines by going against his parent’s anti-vaccination views.
If a Canadian health-care professional believes that an adolescent is a mature minor and has not been vaccinated, they are legally and ethically obliged to provide them with information about vaccination.
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