To the Editor:
Re “Treat Teenage Moms Like Moms,” by Tracey A. Wilkinson, Brownsyne Tucker Edmonds and Aaron E. Carroll (Op-Ed, Feb. 14):
That parents of underage moms in labor can deny their daughters an epidural is astonishing.
Here in New York, it is mandatory to offer pain relief to laboring women if they feel they’re experiencing pain; denying a suffering patient analgesia is considered akin to insisting on pulling out wisdom teeth without any anesthesia.
That this can happen in our country today is a jolting reminder that much still needs to be done to fix glaring inequities and injustices.
Sure, there are women who choose to experience labor without medical intervention, but that should obviously be their decision no matter their age.
I myself would risk civil penalties and order an epidural for a young patient who needs one — regardless of what her abusive parents want. Otherwise, I’m a party to their child abuse.