Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to your article regarding Suhas Subramanyam’s
votes against legislation that would allow parents to have access to their
child’s health records at school.
Subramanyam wants Virginia voters to violate major medical association
positions and code of ethics by having school officials WITHHOLD
healthcare records from parents of minors. He voted against VA House
Bills 1507 and 2432.
The principles of bioethics –beneficence, nonmaleficence and autonomy,
as well as informed consent requirements, all clearly assign responsibility
of a minor’s care to the parent or guardian as the legally authorized person
to make healthcare decisions (including mental health).
The American Medical Association (AMA) code of medical ethics states “as
the person best positioned to understand the child’s unique needs and
interest, parents (or guardians) are asked to fill the dual responsibility of
protecting their children… In giving or withholding permission from medical
treatment for their children, parents or guardians are expected to safeguard
their children’s physical health and well-being.”
The American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) position statement reads as
follows: “AAP supports a robust collaborative model that allows all those
involved in student health, including this student and family to
communicate and participate…” The AAP statement on the confidentiality
in the care of adolescents states “A competent adult has the ultimate
control of their health data, and a child (age of majority, often at 18 years of
age) relies on a parent or guardian to determine when and how
information may be shared.”
Clearly parents can’t safeguard their children’s physical or mental health
and well-being if school officials withhold health care information from the
parent or guardian of a minor.
Daniel Stoltzfus MD FCCM CPE
Professor, Anesthesiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine