Tennessee § 37-10-303 - Written consent required — Petition for waiver.

§ 37-10-303. Written consent required — Petition for waiver.

No person shall perform an abortion on an unemancipated minor unless such person or such person's agent first obtains the written consent of one (1) parent or the legal guardian of the minor. The consent shall be signed. The person shall obtain some written documentation, other than the written consent itself, that purports to establish the relationship of the parent or guardian to the minor and the documentation, along with the signed consent, shall be retained by the person for a period of at least one (1) year. Failure of the person performing the abortion to obtain or retain the documentation and consent is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable only by a fine, unless the failure of the person performing the abortion to retain the required documentation was due to a bona fide, imminent medical emergency to the minor, in which case there is no violation. A person commits a Class A misdemeanor who impersonates the parent or legal guardian of an unemancipated minor for the purpose of circumventing the requirements of subdivision (a)(1). If neither a parent nor a legal guardian is available to the person performing the abortion or such person's agent, or the party from whom consent must be obtained pursuant to this section refuses to consent to the performance of an abortion, or the minor elects not to seek consent of the parent or legal guardian whose consent is required, then the minor may petition, on the minor's own behalf, or by next friend, the juvenile court of any county of this state for a waiver of the consent requirement of this section, pursuant to the procedures of § 37-10-304. If a criminal charge of incest is pending against a parent of such minor pursuant to § 39-15-302, the written consent of such parent, as provided for in subdivision (a)(1), is not required. Acts 1988, ch. 929, § 3; 1995, ch. 458, § 3; 2006, ch. 932, §§ 1, 3. Compiler's Notes. Acts 1995, ch. 458, §§ 1, 2 provided for the revival, reenactment and placing in full effect the provisions of §§ 37-10-301 — 37-10-307 , which require parental consent to perform an abortion on a minor. Cross-References. Abortion, title 39, ch. 15, part 2. Penalties for Class A and B misdemeanors, § 40-35-111 . Research and experimentation upon aborted fetuses, consent of mother required, § 39-15-208 . Law Reviews. Assisting Minors Seeking Abortions in Judicial Bypass Proceedings: A Guardian ad Litem Is No Substitute for an Attorney, 55 Vand. L. Rev. 581 (2002). The Lawyer's Moval Autonomy & Formal Opinion 140 (Ernest F. Lidge III), 33 No. 1 Tenn. B.J. 12 (1997). Attorney General Opinions. Residency and venue requirements, OAG 96-053 (3/26/96). Imposing a mandatory parental consent requirement upon a pregnant minor’s ability to obtain an abortion, without allowing a judicial by-pass procedure, would be unconstitutional, OAG 04-055 (3/30/2004). Disciplinary Board Opinions. Court-appointed attorneys for minors seeking abortions via judicial bypass of parental consent did not commit ethical violations, where such procedure had not been found unconstitutional. Formal Ethics Opinion 96-F-140 (6/13/96).