I'll never understand the double-standard involved with health regulation, pregnancy, and minors.

You either let a minor decide their own course of health action (e.g. cancer treatment, pregnancy, et cetera) or you don't.

MSNBC: Did privacy law figure into newborn's death?

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Authorities said a 17-year-old girl facing a murder charge in the death of her newborn told lies and used privacy laws to hide her pregnancy from her parents, even as they tried to get medical attention for her.

So your spouse (or partner) pulls into the driveway after work, but instead of driving the family car they are being delivered by another mode of transportation. Two guys with little captain hats are driving a big pickup and pulling a long, flat trailer. In the middle of trailer is an enormous bell jar (with air holes), and in the jar is your spouse (or partner) sitting in a nice easy chair, looking happy as can be. The two men in the cab of the pickup solemnly perform a complicated task involving pulleys, etc. to lift the bell jar, allowing your spouse (or partner) to step down. After this operation is completed the pickup departs, leaving the beaming passenger to explain:

"I traded in the car for this wonderful service! For a mere $50 a month these gentlemen will take me wherever I want to go as long as I travel in the bell jar. Think of the money we'll save on gas alone! Not only that, but I'll be the talk of the town and my co-workers will be so impressed when I arrive every morning in this special way!"

One slight drawback is that, according to the contract, only one person can be transported inside the jar-- so you are out of luck in terms of gaining any transportation benefit. After a couple weeks commuting in this fashion, you notice that your spouse (or partner) has started wearing a Burger King crown whenever he/she travels. And slowly, subtly, almost glacially, the trailer starts accruing brightly colored ornaments. And as these decorations pile up, the whole operation resembles a parade float.

Finally, your spouse (or partner) adds giant sequined letters on the back of the vehicle proclaiming "[fill in the name of the spouse (or partner)]" and five or six attractive young women with tiaras and festival princess attire are employed to stand around the trailer and perform the parade-float smile and wave. Naturally, this means the whole setup must move very slowly, at parade speed, which requires your spouse (or partner) to leave extra early to get to work on time every day, and return home very late as well. Also, the cost of hiring the princesses basically eats up the salary of your spouse (or partner), but he/she maintains it is worth it. In fact, you have never seen your spouse (or partner) be so consistently happy and have a sense of glowing well being.

Oh, and the Burger King crown is placed on a velvet pillow under a cake dish every night when your spouse (or partner) is not wearing it.

Finally, one day you get a call from the local Crowbar Hotel, where your spouse (or partner) is cooling his/her heels after being stopped for obstructing traffic and resisting arrest on account of claiming diplomatic immunity ("Can't you see my crown, you fool? I'm royalty! Royalty I tell you!") Bail is needed.

So, at what point in this sad tale would you step in, and when you did, what would you do?