Can a minor be forced to receive medical care following a sexual assault?
No. Minors who can give informed consent to rape crisis services also can refuse to consent to such services. [[16] 16] For example, this issue has presented when a parent requests that a sexual offense examination be performed on their minor child to determine whether the minor has engaged in consensual sexual activity, or where a parent or the police wish to collect evidence to determine the identity of the assailant. A minor who is capable of giving informed consent cannot be forced to submit to such examinations, and medical ethics would probably preclude such tests as they lack medical purpose or benefit. If a minor consents under pressure from a parent, health care workers still can choose to decline to perform the examination if they determine that the consent was the result of force or coercion. Forced consent is not valid consent. Medical guidelines require that providers interview the patient separately from the parent to make this determination. [[17] 17] Note that even the
