EDITORIAL – Lack of respect for mature minor designation concerning

At first blush the decision by Hanover School Division to pass a policy that would see parents exercise their control over their children’s health and counselling in school, despite them being of mature minor status, seems like a positive.

It’s also being applauded by many who see any relinquishment of control of their child as a takeover by somebody else.

Unfortunately, those in favour of the decision and the trustees themselves have entirely missed the point.

Mature minor designation is commonly applied to those 16 and over and is meant to apply to someone who has the mental capacity to make their own decisions.

That includes the right to consent to or refuse medical treatment.

This status is granted those who demonstrate sufficient maturity and cognitive understanding of the impact of their decisions according to the Canadian Paediatric Society.

The Psychological Association of Manitoba agrees, saying it’s commonly assumed that someone over the age of 16 can make their own health-care decisions unless there’s evidence to the contrary.

Society’s rules and laws are full of different ages where a variety of rights and privileges are granted.

A child is thought to be mature enough to be home alone or babysit at age 12, can drive at 16, can vote and purchase liquor or tobacco at 18.

The ability to make their own decisions can apply to the courses they take at school, the extracurriculars they choose and the clothing they buy.

Some parents may have rules that guide those decisions, but as time goes on, they naturally fall into the advisory role.

Yet the very basic concept of mature minors, an accepted term in scientific circles by those who have the detailed knowledge found in years of study, seems to confuse our local board of trustees.

Cheryl Froese, who presented the motion to the board, declared that the phrase “mature minor” is akin to a “cheeseless cheeseburger”.

In a sense she’s not wrong. A cheeseless cheeseburger is a hamburger, very similar to a cheeseburger but not quite there. A mature minor is also very much like a mature adult, but again, not quite there.

That’s why the Canadian Paediatric Society isn’t recommending they can join the army or encouraging them to lower the legal drinking age.

The policy also confuses what should happen with what must happen.

In a healthy family, the mature minor should feel safe enough to seek their parents’ input on all things health related, whether it’s a question of taking a vaccine or concerns regarding gender issues.

But our world is not perfect. Our homes are not all supportive and abuse for youth who are on a different pathway than their parents is a very real concern.

Then there’s the lack of accountability from the board itself.

While Cheryl Froese seemed to think the motion was important enough to bring forward, she refused to explain herself after the meeting.

When an elected official hides from questions it means one of two things.

Either she herself realizes the policy is deeply flawed and impossible to defend, or she has so little respect for the electorate, the people she presumably represents, that she won’t even deign to explain herself.

There are those looking on who realize the ridiculous nature of this policy.

Dr. T. Sheppard-Luangkhot, who has experience in mental health and social services, said the division needs to follow the law.

And that’s not a sentence one should require someone with a doctorate to say.

“The law is that it’s actually the health-care provider who makes that determination,” they pointed out.

We have health professionals for a reason.

They are far more equipped to tell individually whether someone qualifies as a mature minor than an elected board of school trustees.

School trustees are not trained to assess mental health, and making uninformed policy as a result of their own preconceptions is foolhardy at best and dangerous at worst.

We expect a lot from our trustees, and it is often a thankless job.

We expect them to keep our children safe, to allow them to achieve, to prepare them to be adults.

We recognize that parents have a role to play as well, and in an ideal family environment that love and support would boost their children’s decisions and guide them along the way.

It’s not uncommon for elected officials to err, whether they are school board trustees, municipal councillors, provincial or federal politicians.

What makes the smart people stand out is their ability to recognize when they are wrong and show their level of basic common sense is up to the task of understanding difficult concepts.

If Hanover School Division rescinds this policy, they’ll demonstrate that they truly respect both parents and students and will do what’s best for them.