The reporting laws now in place in the NT requiring doctors to report under-age patients believed to be sexually active have caused widespread alarm among health workers treating and caring for children. The greatest concern is of a public health disaster as children seeking help walk away from health services in fear that they will be reported to the police. Dr Andrew Bell, director of primary health care at Katherine West Health Board, discusses the impact and asks why the laws were introduced through parliament with so little information made public about its intent.Throughout Australia, sexually active young teenagers have access to confidential and trusted sexual and reproductive health services — everywhere that is except in the Northern Territory, where...
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