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Adolescents' competency to make informed birth control and pregnancy decisions: An interface for psychology and the law
Author(s) -
Carter Patricia I.,
St. Lawrence Janet S.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
behavioral sciences and the law
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.649
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1099-0798
pISSN - 0735-3936
DOI - 10.1002/bsl.2370030307
Subject(s) - birth control , doctrine , informed consent , psychology , control (management) , interface (matter) , parental consent , medicine , law , social psychology , applied psychology , political science , family planning , alternative medicine , engineering , computer science , population , research methodology , artificial intelligence , pulmonary surfactant , gibbs isotherm , environmental health , pathology , chemical engineering
This paper explores the interface between psychology and the law as it relates to the informed consent doctrine and adolescents' legal competency to make informed decisions regarding birth control and pregnancy terminations. The complicated developmental, clinical, ethical, and legal issues have stimulated the courts to express their need for empirical evidence on the issue. To date, no such investigation has been reported in the literature. A research strategy is proposed which could address the courts' need for substantive data upon which to base legal decisions regarding adolescents' competency to reach reproductive decisions.