Thread: Tattoos and Minors.

Did she do it safely? I don't know that. She did it at home with "her own tools," which may or may not be properly sterilized. You would think that someone who works as a tattoo artist would know that it's illegal to tattoo a minor in her state. She could have driven her daughter over the state line to Virginia and it would have been perfectly legal, but she chose to do it illegally at home instead. And now she's paying the price, literally. It's only a misdemeanor, she was cited & released, and probably only faces a court date because she didn't pay the fine.

Originally Posted by Spacers

Did she do it safely? I don't know that. She did it at home with "her own tools," which may or may not be properly sterilized.

The arrest wasnt' for doing it unsafely...it was for doing it...period. Because in her state you aren't allowed to tattoo a child even with parental consent. Obviously if she did it unsafely that would be very wrong and I would imagine some other laws would apply in that case, but thats not really what this article is about. Speculating about safety isn't even within the realm of the charges.

You would think that someone who works as a tattoo artist would know that it's illegal to tattoo a minor in her state. She could have driven her daughter over the state line to Virginia and it would have been perfectly legal, but she chose to do it illegally at home instead. And now she's paying the price, literally. It's only a misdemeanor, she was cited & released, and probably only faces a court date because she didn't pay the fine.

LOL well i won't defend her intelligence Minor offense or not, the principle of the charges do seem kind of silly to me.

But again, i wouldn't know how to appropriately draw the line. Obviously i would be much more appalled if we were talking about tattooing a non-consenting baby's face or something.

Although according to the article, lots and lots of states make it possible for minors to get tattoos with parental consent, and overall it doesn't seem to be that detrimental.

Yeah...i don't agree with the law in her state. I think parents should be able to give consent. I wonder if there is a bottom age limit in those states where you can give parental consent.

The truth is that I pass judgment on students I've had with tattoos. I think it might be more what the tattoo is than the fact that they have one. You don't need your mother's name tattooed on your shoulder when you are 13. One girl had a treble clef behind her right ear and I didn't really judge that much.

A little heart on her shoulder? I can't get behind criminal charges on that one either.

Now, the thing I can't stand - ear stretchers. Yet, AFAIK, you don't need parental consent to buy them.

Originally Posted by KimPossible

The arrest wasnt' for doing it unsafely...it was for doing it...period.

[snip]

Yeah...i don't agree with the law in her state. I think parents should be able to give consent. I wonder if there is a bottom age limit in those states where you can give parental consent.

I mentioned safety because Audra said she wasn't concerned because it was done safely and with the mom's consent, and I was just pointing out that we don't know it was done safely. The kid might end up diagnosed with Hepatitis from it.

Some states do have a lower limit of 14, but Virginia doesn't. This isn't a comprehensive list, I noticed South Carolina is missing but I found that in SC it's illegal to tattoo a minor.
Legal status of tattooing in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I thought of another argument in favor of waiting. The dyes used in tattooing can cause an allergic reaction. My ex-BIL found out he was allergic to yellow, and his reaction to it made a scar in addition to the tattoo. Kids generally have more sensitive skin than adults, which might mean they could be at higher risk for that kind of thing. Why risk it?

Is the debate if you should tattoo a child, or should it be illegal to tattoo a child? I think those are two different things.

Originally Posted by ethanwinfield

Now, the thing I can't stand - ear stretchers. Yet, AFAIK, you don't need parental consent to buy them.

Of all the things you can do to your body, I think that is one of the worst also. Regular piercings you can take out, tattoos you can at least hide in most cases, but once your ears are all stretched out I don't think there is anything that can fix them. Gross.

I mentioned safety because Audra said she wasn't concerned because it was done safely and with the mom's consent, and I was just pointing out that we don't know it was done safely. The kid might end up diagnosed with Hepatitis from it.

True i guess i would say it doesn't make sense to point to safety in either direction.

Originally Posted by Spacers

I thought of another argument in favor of waiting. The dyes used in tattooing can cause an allergic reaction. My ex-BIL found out he was allergic to yellow, and his reaction to it made a scar in addition to the tattoo. Kids generally have more sensitive skin than adults, which might mean they could be at higher risk for that kind of thing. Why risk it?

And you ear can get infected when you pierce it...why risk it? Is the argument "its not necessary and presents risk, they shouldn't do it"

Tons of things fall into that category that we let our 11 year old children do.

I can see someone making a *personal* decision that getting a tattoo in general its not worth the risk, i don't see anything in particular about a small tattoo that makes it criminal though.

True. I assumed safety bc she was a professional. I should not have.

I guess I just don't see the big deal on this one.

I'm mostly not into altering bodies of children, but this just seems so much less intrusive than so many things that we *do* to our kids that I can't get all up in arms about it. That's all.

Even though it isn't permanent this has to be one of the weirdest things I've seen.


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Originally Posted by AlyssaEimers

Is the debate if you should tattoo a child, or should it be illegal to tattoo a child? I think those are two different things.

I guess both. Partly because I don't understand allowing your child to get a tattoo but not sure if it should be illegal.