Parental consent

Parental consent laws (also known as parental involvement laws)¹ in some countries require that one or more parents consent to or be notified before their minor child² can legally engage in certain activities.

Parental consent may refer to:

• A parent's right to give consent, or be informed, before their minor child undergoes medical treatment.³ See informed consent for such legislation in general, or minors and abortion⁴ for legislation relating specifically to abortion.⁵

• Some jurisdictions stop short of requiring parental consent for abortion but require parental notification.⁶

• The parental rights movement, which seeks to require parents to either be notified or give consent if their minor child wishes to go by a different name or different gender pronouns at school.
• A parent's right to give consent before their minor child undergoes body modification such as piercing or tattooing.⁷
• A parent's right to consent to their minor child marrying before they reach marriageable age.
• A parent's right to be involved in their minor child's education, including the right to approve or disapprove of certain curricula, or to consent to extracurricular activities and field trips.⁸