
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 5, 1991                   TAG: 9104050674
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A/2   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Short

TEENS WON'T NEED CONSENT FOR NORPLANT

Girls under 18 will be able to receive a new contraceptive implant without parental consent at Planned Parenthood Federation clinics, the group's associate medical director said Thursday.

Norplant, the contraceptive approved in December by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, should be available at most of the group's clinics in six months, said Dr. Amy Pollack of Planned Parenthood.

"We don't consider that young women need parental consent for contraception," she said.

Norplant requires a small operation. While many hospitals required parental consent for operating on minors, Planned Parenthood will not.

In Roanoke, officials at Planned Parenthood of the Blue Ridge said they expect Norplant to be available in 4 to 6 weeks.

- Associated Press

by CNB