DeSantis okays emergency care on minors in more places and without parental consent

Florida Phoenix | By Diane Rado | April 7, 2022

Doctors will be able to perform emergency medical care on minors in various locations — from soccer fields to grocery stores and other venues — without parental consent, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The governor signed the bill, HB 817, on Wednesday evening, part of a stack of bills passed by the Florida Legislature in the 2022 legislative session. The new law will take effect July 1, 2022.

State Sen. Jennifer Bradley, a Republican who co-sponsored the initiative, said the measure came about after doctors expressed fears over lawsuits involving when they could legally treat a child in an emergency situation.

Bradley represents several North Florida counties. The Florida Medical Association, Florida Osteopathic Medical Association and other medical groups supported the bill.

State Rep. Ralph Massullo, a Republican representing Citrus County and part of Hernando, sponsored the bill on the House side. As previously reported by the Phoenix, Massullo presented his bill during a health-related subcommittee in the state House during the session, but it took only 13 seconds.

At issue at the time, was the concept of parental consent. It’s important because: “It is well settled that the interest of parents in the care, custody, and control of their children is perhaps the oldest of the recognized fundamental liberty interests protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” according to a legislative analysis.

In 2020, the Florida Legislature approved an abortion bill related to parental consent for minors seeking abortions. And in the the 2021 legislative session, state Rep. Erin Grall pushed for the Parents’ Bill of Rights, which gave parents more power over local school board policies.