Health Experts Demand Law Against 'Extreme Piercing' in Children

Health experts in Queensland have knocked the legislation calling for urgent changes in the law to check the growing demand of extreme piercing in children.

Children as young as 11 are nudging towards body modification practices once reserved for hardcore punks, reports the Courier Mail.

Experts Warn Young Brit Women Against DIY Body Piercings
Experts have warned that young Brit women are putting their health at risk with do-it-yourself body piercings, or by asking friends or relatives to conduct them.

There are no laws in Queensland outlawing the piercing of young children, except in genitals. Yet, tattooing, on anyone under the age of 18 is illegal.

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.

Australian State to Impose Ban on 'Intimate' Piercing of Minors
Australia's most populous state will ban young teenagers from having intimate body piercings, with authorities saying on Thursday that the health risks from the fashion trend were too great.

"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.

People Urged Not To Put Their Health At Risk This Holiday Season
The AMA advises Australians to increase their enjoyment of Christmas and the holiday season this year by making informed choices about their health and avoiding risky behaviour.

"It is for this reason that I have asked Queensland Health to investigate legislative options for prohibiting the non-intimate piercings of minors," Lucas said.

The Australian Medical Association Queensland president Gino Pecoraro supported the campaign and said the laws for piercing should be the same as tattooing.

Tattoo Rage in Australia Among the Young
One out of four youngsters in Australia seems to sport a tattoo, and it is fast becoming a fashion statement.

"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," 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," 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," he added.

Source-ANI