Jordan Thomas, a 19-year-old Freshman at Rutgers University, has helped the state of New Jersey pass a law that now allows minors to receive mental healthcare treatment without parental consent.
Personal experiences with physical and emotional abuse at home led Jordan to seek the help of a counselor at school as a then 16-year-old student. However, his mother refused to provide the consent required for a counseling session to occur, which was still an obligation under New Jersey law at that time. Months later, he landed in the foster care system.
Thomas at a 2014 New Jersey legislative hearing.
This personal set of circumstances and the untold stories of countless others, such as the suicide of a fellow Rutgers student, galvanized Thomas to take action. With the support of the Boys and Girls Club of Hudson County, Thomas petitioned state Assemblymen Carmelo Garcia and Raj Mukherji to take legislative action. The men agreed to co-sponsor a bill that would reverse the parental consent requirement to allow teens to gain access to counseling and behavioral care treatments under the supervision of a licensed physician.
Now in effect, the Boys & Girls Clubs Keystone Law is sure to benefit teenagers like Jordan who once considered suicide. According to the Save.org, “There is one death by suicide in the US every 12.3 minutes.”
If you or someone you know may be suicidal, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1 (800) 273-8255.
