Login
Does Wisconsin have a law on minors getting birth control without parental consent?
Wisconsin Watch partners withΒ GigafactΒ to produce fact briefs β bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
No.
Nine states, including Wisconsin, have no law specifying whether minors can obtain contraceptives without parental consent.
However, Wisconsin residents under age 18 can get birth control independently.
Clinics receiving federal Title X family planning funds cannot require parental consent.
One state of Wisconsin program offers free contraceptives to low-income minors without notifying parents.
And Wisconsin law requires that foster children receive confidential family planning services.
The lack of a law means some providers βmay require parental consent out of an abundance of caution,β said Marquette University law professor Lisa Mazzie.
Parents might be notified by their health insurers if their children get contraception using insurance.
In the latest national survey by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2023, 32% of high school students reported ever having sex, down from 47% in 2013; 52% used a condom during their last sexual intercourse; 33% used hormonal birth control.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- KFF: Minorsβ Ability to Consent to Contraception and Abortion Services
- National Center for Youth Law: Minor Consent and Confidentiality: A Compendium of State and Federal Laws
- University of Michigan Health: Wisconsin Confidentiality Laws
- Milwaukee Health Department: Keenan Sexual Health Clinic
- Wisconsin Legislature: DCF 56.09: Care of foster children
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services: Family Planning Only Services Program
- U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services: OPA Program Policy Notice: 2024-01βClarification Regarding Confidential Services to Adolescents under the Title X Program
- Marquette University law professor Lisa Mazzie: Email
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Youth Risk Behavior Survey: 2013-2023
Does Wisconsin have a law on minors getting birth control without parental consent? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
