Despite articles on consent,1 parental responsibility,2 safeguarding in adolescence3 and teenage pregnancy,4 central problems of consent in relation to underage sexual activity remain concealed, particularly when a pregnant girl under 16 years wishes to have a termination, without her parents knowing. The medical, legal, social and psychological issues may make a paediatrician the appropriate professional to assess competence and safety.

The interview must allow the girl to be alone with the paediatrician. The time is arranged by mobile phone, often at the end of the school day, and in a different building from the maternity/gynaecology unit. An hour will be needed. Her confidentiality must be …