NH Lawmakers Aim to Expand Parental Rights. Some fear that Could Harm Young Sexual Assault Victims

Under the new provision, parents would have to agree to medical care for their child — except in the case of an emergency — and to the collection of the child’s DNA and blood for an investigation. But medical experts say there is limited time to collect that evidence and treat sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy in the case of a sexual assault.
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Janet Carroll, director of the New Hampshire Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program, said she’s worried consent won’t come in time, perhaps because a parent can’t be found or the parent is the perpetrator or related to that person. Carroll thinks lawmakers overlooked the potential consequences when they recently amended the legislation.

“As written, it would have harmful unintended health care and safety consequences for sexual assault victims,” Carroll said. “We really want to make sure that it's clear that we do not think that it was the intention of the Legislature to put child sexual assault victims at further risk.”
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Under current law, sexual assault nurses can conduct forensic exams and treat victims 14 and older without parental consent. Still, Carroll tells those patients their parents may find out anyway because she has to report child sexual assaults to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Carroll also offers to help children talk to a parent.

“I've completed, you know, hundreds of these exams on kiddos,” Carroll said. Only once has a child declined the offer. “All of those conversations have been very helpful for the child, for the parent, and has really helped move them forward.
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NHPR
May 19, 2025

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