3rd Circuit Court of Appeals Rules That Philadelphia Clinic Did Not Violate Rights of Minor, Parents by Dispensing EC on Request

Via the Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report:

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia on Friday ruled unanimously that a city health clinic did not violate a 16-year-old girl's rights or those of her parents when it gave her emergency contraception without notifying her parents, the AP/Pennlive.com reports.

Melissa Anspach visited the clinic in January 2004 for a pregnancy test that was not available that day, so at a friend's recommendation she returned to the clinic later and requested EC, which can prevent pregnancy if taken up to 72 hours after sexual intercourse. Anspach spoke briefly with a social worker before a nurse gave her one dose at the clinic and a second dose to take 12 hours later. She experienced severe abdominal pains and vomiting after taking the medication, so she told her parents about the drug and they took her to a hospital, where she was treated and released, the AP/Pennlive.com reports.