CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The West Virginia House voted Tuesday to revise the legal requirement to notify parents of an underage daughter’s abortion.
The House of Delegates also voted to allow lottery winners of more than $1 million to remain anonymous and backed legislation to bar teens under 18 from tanning booths.
The bills now go to the Senate for consideration.
Under the current law, a doctor other than the one performing an abortion can waive the requirement to notify parents by finding that the minor is mature enough to decide independently or that notification wouldn’t be in her best interest.
Under the unanimously approved amendment, a psychiatrist or licensed psychologist would have to make that determination.
The juvenile or her doctor could also seek a court waiver to keep from notifying parents.
At a recent hearing, advocates of physician waivers said they were used only four times in 2015, when 48 minors in West Virginia had abortions.
They said waivers are needed especially to protect girls raped in abusive or violent households.
The lottery measure would allow big winners of Powerball, Hot Lotto or Mega Millions to shield their contact information from the public, protecting them from harassment and new friends who’d appear after learning the person has won more than $1 million, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Shott said. In state lottery history, it would affect only 15 people, he said.
The prohibition on tanning would apply to anyone under 18.
Under a 2013 state law, children younger than 14 are already banned from tanning beds in West Virginia businesses, and those 14 to 17 need parental permission or consent. The latest bill would ban anyone under 18, even if they get parental permission. Sponsors say medical evidence shows an increased risk of skin cancers from indoor tanning.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 43 states regulate minors’ use of tanning facilities, and 15 states and the District of Columbia ban them outright for people under 18.
The House also rejected a proposal to chop the state’s film production tax credit, voting 60-39 against it.
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