The State - News from Sept. 11, 1985

Lawyers for Planned Parenthood asked the state Court of Appeal to block enforcement of a law requiring doctors to report to police when children in their care are sexually active. Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union maintain the law, passed by the Legislature in 1981, violates the privacy rights of teen-agers by requiring doctors and other health professionals to report on their sexual activities. Doctors who fail to make such reports to local police agencies could face misdemeanor charges. Broader implications of the law, aimed at curbing sexual abuse of children, did not become apparent until the Department of Social Services sent a memo to all counties in April telling them of its requirements, the ACLU contends in its petition.