NJ parents’ rights to their children’s medical records explained

It’s outrageous.

We're hearing many reports of New Jersey parents are being told by doctors, clinics, and hospitals that their 13-year-old must sign a release before mom or dad can see the child’s own medical records.

That claim is false, and it needs to stop.

Under New Jersey law, parents of unemancipated children have the clear right to access their child’s medical, dental, insurance, and related records.

No child’s permission is required for routine care.

What NJ law actually says about parents and medical records

The law is pretty straightforward: every parent “shall have access” to those records unless a court specifically finds it is not in the child’s best interest or is being sought to harm the other parent.

I had a great conversation with my friend Greg Quinlan, the founder of Garden State Families and he shared valuable information and offered help for parents.

To be clear:

There is no general law that hands 13-year-olds veto power over parental access. Claims that such a rule exists are simply wrong.

In addition to a judge's order there are some limited exceptions, but only in narrow cases where the law already lets minors consent independently including:

Substance-use treatment (alcohol or drugs) at any age is confidential.
Temporary outpatient behavioral/mental-health care (excluding medication) for minors 16 and older is confidential.
Certain sexual-health, STI/HIV, and sexual-assault related care can also carry confidentiality protections.

For everything else, physicals, immunizations, sick visits, doctor appointments; parents have the right to access the records.

Providers are supposed to segment confidential portions when they exist. They are not supposed to invent a blanket requirement that a 13-year-old must authorize parental access to ordinary medical information.

Why some medical records can be different

Yet, multiple New Jersey parents report being told exactly that.

Whether it is confusion, over-caution, or something more deliberate, the practical result is the same: parents are being cut out of information that the law says they are entitled to see.

This is not how it is supposed to work.

Parents are responsible for their children’s health and well-being. Handing a 13-year-old the power to lock parents out of routine medical records undermines that responsibility and invites problems.

The law does not require it, and healthcare providers should stop telling parents otherwise.

If we're going to speculate, this is all ahead of radical pro-trans activists wanting to groom children into dangerous and irreversible so-called 'gender affirming' care.

We saw this with the hidden 'pronouns' where a school would honor the student's request to be addressed as the wrong gender, and hide the actions from parents.

Now we're entering into much more dangerous territory.

Parents are the last and best line of defense to protect children from these trans-grooming predators.

What to do if a provider says your child must sign a release

If a doctor, clinic, or hospital administrator tells you that you need your child’s permission, use these four points:

Under New Jersey law (N.J.S.A. 9:2-4.2), parents of unemancipated children have the right to access their child’s medical records, no child’s permission is required for routine care.
Claims that 13-year-olds must authorize parental access are false. No such general law exists in New Jersey.
Limited exceptions apply only to specific confidential services, such as substance-use treatment or certain outpatient mental-health care for minors 16 and older.
For ordinary medical records, requiring a child’s release is a restriction the law does not impose. Please provide the records as required.

Know your rights as a parent and fight back.

The law is on your side.

Document what you were told, and make clear that New Jersey law still recognizes parents’ rights in this area.

If you have a problem, call me on the show and visit the website to access the parental rights portal.