Nursing practice and statutory rape. Effects of reporting and enforcement on access to care for adolescents

Changes over the past decade in statutory rape laws and their enforcement have created anxiety and confusion for nurses and other health care providers in jurisdictions across the country. Mandated reporting of statutory rape as child abuse potentially has the unsought effect of deterring some of the adolescents most in need of confidential health care from seeking that care. Knowledge and advocacy on the part of nurses can help mitigate the harms of overly inclusive reporting and enforcement.