A minor will now require written parental consent in order to obtain a body piercing in New York State. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law Monday. The legislation claims it aims to protect teenagers from infections and blood-borne diseases that might result from non-ear piercings. About 20 percent of body piercings result in infection, according to the Journal of Clinical Dermatology.
It is possible to contract hepatitis from such a piercing. The law goes into effect in 90 days.
