Remarkably, as lax as some of our laws here in the States are about tattoo licensing, body piercing, and underage tattooing, in other countries the situation is far more dire.
For example, in Australia, there are virtually no laws whatsoever governing body piercing. Consequently, anyone in Australia, regardless of age or parental consent, can have their body pierced anywhere on the body that is not intimate.
An article concerning this startling practice, as well as the rush for legislation to be passed that would place body piercing along-side tattooing in terms of licensing and age restrictions, follows below in its entirety.
Child piercing chill prompts shake-up
Jackie Sinnerton
January 01, 2011
A SURGE in extreme piercing of children without their parents' knowledge has sparked a cry for urgent changes in the law.
Children as young as 11 are nudging towards body modification practices once reserved for hardcore punks.
There are no laws in Queensland outlawing the piercing of young children, except in genitals. Yet, tattooing, on anyone under 18 is illegal.
The growing demand for more permanent body jewellery in the form of transdermal implants, which can only be removed surgically, has fuelled calls for legislative action.
These are implanted deep in the body tissue, most commonly on the sternum, back, forehead, back of legs, stomach.
The Deputy Premier and Minister for Health Paul Lucas said he intended to take a submission to Cabinet in the New Year.
"I share the concerns of parents when it comes to body piercing and minors," he said.
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"I'm not talking about piercings such as simple earrings or studs in ears, but the sort of piercings that can permanently damage children's faces or other body parts.
"If that sort of body decoration is something people want to do, then I see no reason why they can't wait until they are 18 to do it on an informed basis.
"It is for this reason that I have asked Queensland Health to investigate legislative options for prohibiting the non-intimate piercings of minors."
The Australian Medical Association Queensland is backing the shake-up.
AMAQ president Gino Pecoraro said the laws for piercing should be the same as tattooing.
"Parents should be taking these people up on assault charges," he said.
He said microdermal anchors amounted to surgical procedures and "should not be carried out by anyone not fully qualified and certainly should never ever be carried out on a minor".
"If they become infected ... and left untreated, an infection runs the risk of bacteria getting into the blood and can be very dangerous to the heart," Dr Pecoraro said.
Also backing the plea for new laws is Brisbane body piercer Ben Thorsen, of Spring Hill.
"Microdermal anchors are in big demand and, basically, they go in but they don't come out," Mr Thorsen said.
"I can tell you that it takes years of training to do this kind of thing safely and I'm scared that children are going to people who are just not experienced."
Sunshine Coast schoolgirl Max Lamb, 15, has 21 piercings and is proud of every one.
"I have always gone to piercing shops that have a good reputation and they all have insisted on my mum giving permission," she said.
Tanya Lamb, said she supported her daughter's love of piercings.
"I would be horrified if someone pierced my child without me knowing," she said.
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