Colorado teenagers may soon need parental permission to get a tan, but not an abortion.
Bart Hanks, a Colorado tanning-salon owner, said he goes to great lengths to make sure customers are educated before climbing into a tanning bed.
"For the most part, the parent has to be present," he told Family News in Focus. "And they have to sign for them if they are under 18."
That's good store policy, and the legislative proposal would require such permission.
Jim Pfaff, president of Colorado Family Action, said there's a greater hazard the Legislature ought to be dealing with first.
"A child must obtain parental consent to get a tattoo, to get an ear piercing and now we want to consider doing that for tanning," he said. "But in Colorado we have no consent requirement when a child decides they want to have an abortion."
Pfaff said abortion is a life-altering medical procedure that affects girls for a lifetime.
"Innocent human life needs to be protected," he said. "Parents should be required to sign off on that if their daughter is deciding to have an abortion, and yet we're quibbling about tanning."
