Can parents force teen to remove tattoo?

DEAR AMY: I'm 17 years old and I recently got a tattoo done by a friend. My parents are angry and want to force me to get it laser-removed. I want to know if they can do that? Do I have a say?

--Teen

DEAR TEEN: Most states require that tattoo artists only administer ink to people 18 or older (sometimes younger with written parental consent). It is a violation of New York State Penal Law, for instance, to tattoo minors under the age of 18, regardless of parental consent.

Depending on the state you live in, the person violating the law could be charged with a misdemeanor and/or fined several thousand dollars.

So can your parents force you to have your ink removed? It depends on what you mean by "force." They might force you by threatening to make you mow the lawn for the rest of your natural life or by attempting to use any number of emotional weapons in their parental armory. They might force you by threatening to take legal action against your friend.

I don't believe your parents would have a legal case against you, because the laws are intended to protect young people from their own flawed choices -- the idea being that you are too immature to give informed consent and be held legally accountable for this sort of silliness.

Most important, you and your parents should all be more concerned about blood-borne disease than your sneaky disobedience.

The most important thing your parents should force you to do is to see a doctor immediately to be tested for hepatitis, tetanus and HIV.

After that, if you were my kid I might suggest that you keep your tattoo. That might be ample punishment, certainly down the road when you are faced with the permanence of living with a fashion choice you thought was awesome when you were 17.