Assembly bill 2874 lowers the age of consent from 16 years old to 14 years old for minors to undergo behavioral health care services - without their parents' knowledge.This bill is scheduled to be heard in the New Jersey Assembly Children, Families and Food Security on Thursday, December 4, 2025.If this bill passes, young children 14 years of age and older will be able to seek mental health care services, including for emotional issues at temporary outpatient clinics, excluding the use or administration of medication. They will be able to consent to treatment by psychiatrists, licensed practicing psychologists, certified psychoanalysts, and licensed psychologists - without anyone telling their parents' about this medical care.
Treatment for behavioral health care service for mental illness or emotional disorders that is consented to by a minor shall be considered confidential information between the physician, the individual licensed to provide professional counseling, the advanced practice nurse, or the health care facility, as appropriate, and the patient, and neither the minor nor the minor's physician, professional counselor, nurse, or outpatient health care facility, as appropriate, shall be required to report such treatment when it is the result of voluntary consent. The consent of no other person or persons, including but not limited to, a spouse, parent, custodian, or guardian, shall be necessary in order to authorize a minor to receive such hospital services, facility, or clinical care or services, medical or surgical care or services, or counseling services from a physician licensed to practice medicine,
Tragically, Assembly Bill 2874 seeks to restructure our mental health system in a way that works against parents. This bill would legally require treatment to remain confidential—without parental consent or knowledge—for children as young as 14 years old.Removing parents from the mental and emotional health care of their own children is not a solution. It does not prevent suicide; it puts more children at risk. Parents are the first protectors and advocates for their children, and stripping them of this role undermines both family integrity and accountability in healthcare.Fill out the form below to contact your local Assembly Members, and the Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee to stop this bill!
