Advocates press committee to repeal ORC 5122.04; witnesses cite parental‑notification concerns and crisis exceptions

Witnesses for and against aspects of House Bill 172 gave extended testimony about parental notification and minor consent to outpatient mental health services during the hearing on ORC 5122.04.

John Stover of Ohio Value Voters urged repeal, saying ORC 5122.04 permits a minor 14 years or older to obtain outpatient mental‑health services without parental knowledge and that this conflicts with the Parents’ Bill of Rights passed earlier (House Bill 8). He told the committee parents ask how a school district required to notify parents could be superseded by a state program such as the Mobile Response Stabilization Service (MRSS).

Multiple witnesses — including Linda Harvey (Mission America / Protect Ohio Children), Kathy Boff (Protect Our Children Coalition), and Corinne Bridal (legal counsel, Ohio Christian Education Network) — argued the statute undermines parental authority, cited a lack of data collection on the statute’s use over 36 years, and urged repeal. They said existing mandatory‑reporting statutes for abuse (ORC 2151.421) and emergency carve‑outs should remain in place to protect at‑risk youth.

Committee members and other witnesses cautioned that MRSS and crisis response programs generally involve parents in most cases and that carve‑outs for imminent danger and criminal abuse must be preserved. Representative Miller and others pressed witnesses to explain how repeal would protect children in abusive families or preserve crisis response options; supporters said mandatory‑reporting laws and law‑enforcement involvement remain applicable when abuse is disclosed.

The committee accepted written testimony and concluded the second hearing. No committee vote to repeal ORC 5122.04 was recorded in the transcript.