Who is a mature minor?
A minor, a child under 18, is considered mature when a physician determines, on a case-by-case basis, that the minor is capable of giving informed consent to treatment. The physician should employ the same criteria used to determine the ability of an adult to consent whose decisional capacity is in question. Once a finding has been made that the minor possesses the capacity to consent, the minor must give informed consent exactly as an adult would. Minors younger than 15 should not be determined mature by the physician without judicial guidance. This applies especially to minors about to receive major procedures or in life-threatening situations.
