CASE
A 14-year-old boy came for treatment of psoriatic lesions mostly over the palm and the soles. Upon further investigation, he was diagnosed to have secondary syphilis; this was confirmed by biopsy and serologic exams.
Bothered by this discovery, the dermatologist asked the boy’s mother for permission to speak with him privately. The boy admitted that he contracted the disease from their household help, but asked the doctor not to reveal this to his mother.
QUESTION
Should the physician accede to the boy’s request?
POSSIBLE SOLUTION
In general, a minor is considered incompetent to make legal decisions. Who enters into a contract then with the doctor is not the boy himself, but his mother. Therefore the doctor, from the legal point of view, must inform the mother in case she asks for the condition of her son. Likewise, the doctor must first obtain the mother’s consent before proceeding with any treatment.
In some countries, however, the parents’ consent is not required in cases that are personal to the mature minors, at least when there exists no real risk to the minor’s life. An example is sexually transmitted diseases of teenagers 15 years or older in some states in the US. The reason for this is that minors might hesitate to approach a doctor, and thus remain untreated, if their parents are required to know about their cases.
Other factors merit consideration in the actual management of the case. The boy, even if still a minor, already exercises free will and has to be considered mature to a certain extent. Therefore, the doctor should try to find solutions that respect the mother’s legal rights and responsibilities to her son, and at the same time the boy’s sense of responsibility and legal rights. One possible way is for the doctor to encourage the boy to tell his mother about his situation (or the doctor could do this himself, with the boy’s permission), after reassuring him of his mother’s concern and understanding. The doctor might also have to talk with the mother in private first to prepare her for her son’s communication.
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Copyright (C) 2025 by Author: Fr. Gregory Ramon D. GASTON, SThD, DComm. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No reproduction, transmission, or distribution of this content may be made without the explicit written permission of the author.