All some Iowa teenagers want for Christmas is to have their bodies pierced. The state currently has no regulation for the popular practice, though the Scott County Board of Health is trying to change that. The board is appealing to the state to take action & STOP kids from being “run through.” Jackie Hall is spokeswoman for the Davenport-based board. She says kids as young as twelve are getting their navels, tongues and tummies pierced and there’s little that can be done to stop it. Hall says the state needs to step in an lay down some rules, especially for health reasons. Hall says there are three Davenport-area tattoo parlors which offer body piercings and more shops offer just piercings. She says county leaders want the Iowa Department of Public Health to take a stand on piercings before more children are subjected to the risky form of body decoration. The county board is sending a formal letter to the state, urging a statewide regulation of body piercing. In 1998, Iowa legislators considered a bill that would have required parental consent for minors and which would have set up a licensing system for piercers — but it was defeated in the Senate.
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