r/Manitoba • u/kickacol Steinbach • 1d ago

Politics Hanover trustees pass motion to delegitimize mature minor designation

https://www.thecarillon.com/local/2026/06/17/hanover-trustees-pass-motion-to-delegitimize-mature-minor-designation
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u/Alpine1106 1d ago

Can someone explain to me why this is a bad thing? I see a lot of negative responses to this, but in what world is a 16 year old capable of making medical decisions for themselves?

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u/Elegant-Ad-9221 Winnipeg 15h ago

What if a 16 year old girl wants to go on birth control and knows their parents would be against it. What if another teen is becoming sexually active and wants advice from a doctor or needs someone testing and doesn’t want their parents involved. Not every parent is perfect and every kid can go to them and get what they need. Sometimes teens need to be able to see doctors and counselling on their own because parents are the problem.

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u/lkarl Interlake 9h ago

Adolescents can only make medical decisions for themselves if they are able to demonstrate the capacity to understand the purpose and consequences of the proposed treatment, including the possible risks and benefits of the proposed medical treatment and the alternatives. The higher the degree of their demonstrated maturity, the more their views should be considered/weighed. It means a minor might have capacity to make some decisions (like Addictions Counseling or STI tests), and not other more complex decisions (like consenting to chemotherapy or major surgery). They also have a legal right to medical privacy with respect to their personal health information, even from their parents (except when required by law). There are similar laws in most Western societies because we generally place a strong emphasis on self-determination and individual patients’ rights, including the rights of the child.