Maturity

{
  "id": "MLC-T-LAW-003190",
  "term": "Maturity",
  "field": "Law",
  "definition": "The degree of cognitive, emotional and moral development at which a young person can understand the nature and consequences of a decision. Courts weigh a minor's maturity when deciding whether a waiver of rights is knowing and voluntary, whether the minor can consent to medical care, and whether a judge should authorize an abortion without parental consent. A minor who shows maturity to a judge can obtain a judicial bypass of a parental consent requirement, a procedure the Supreme Court required in its 1979 Bellotti decision.",
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/law/maturity/"
}