Parental Consent for Body Piercing
Thank you for putting “Bill Seeks OK of Parents for Body Piercing” (Jan. 24) on the front page where it’s sure to receive the ridicule it deserves. Lancaster Assemblyman George Runner Jr.’s proposal to require parental approval before kids do anything so rash as pierce a bellybutton seems a strange position for a “get the government out of people’s lives” Republican. Gosh, parents really need the government’s help on this one!
As your story implies, the government might plausibly have a role in regulating the sanitary conditions of piercing parlors, but Runner’s bill is aimed not at improving hygiene, but at bolstering the power of majors over minors.
Next I suppose we’ll see legislation requiring that kids have parental consent to buy Doc Martens, dye their hair or otherwise challenge their parents’ notions of sensible style.
BARBARA BLISS OSBORN
Los Angeles
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