Moms Catch Heat Over Kids’ Tattoos
In Georgia, the only time a minor may legally obtain a tattoo is if a physician, or technician working under a doctor’s direct supervision, is providing it for “medical or cosmetic purposes,” such as covering up a scar. That’s why a Coweta County mom was arrested last week when her 12-year-old daughter’s “Jesus Loves” tattoo was spotted by a teacher.
My oldest son is a sophomore at a Charlotte high school. He says some of his classmates have tattoos. Unless they did it in another state, or they’re older than I think, there’s a good chance laws were broken when those kids got their ink.
It’s illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to get a tattoo in North Carolina and South Carolina. However, a large number of states allow children under 18 can be tattooed with some form of parental consent: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Only one parent has to give consent for a minor to get a tattoo in Ohio, so no law was broken in the news story below. That didn’t make this Cincinnati-area father any less furious, though, especially when you consider what his ex-wife allowed their 14-year-old daughter to have inked above her ankle.
How could the mothers in these two stories think that 12 and 14 were appropriate ages for their children to be able to thoughtfully consider and agree to something as permanent as a tattoo? These women essentially foisted their own desires upon their daughters.
