A North Carolina state House committee quickly backtracked on its approval of a bill that would require teenagers to get notarized parental consent to access sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment, mental health counseling, pregnancy care or substance abuse treatment.
The bill, sponsored by State Rep. Chris Whitmire (R), was approved by the Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday. But today, the Republican-controlled committee decided to pull it for now.
State Rep. Susi Hamilton (D), joined HuffPost Live Wednesday to express her opposition to the bill. Hamilton said many in the North Carolina General Assembly believe the bill won't resurface in this legislative session, and that it may never be heard at all. Hamilton call the proposal "regressive" and said it had parents, students and teachers in her district fearful that teenagers would be robbed of the opportunity to receive professional help in a safe and nonjudgmental environment.
North Carolina already requires parental consent for teenagers seeking abortions. House Bill 693 would be the first law in the U.S. to amend that parental consent law to include STD testing and treatment, mental health counseling and other health services.