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IN AND AROUND THE CAPITOL
Senate ponders
By Rosemarie Bernardo
body-piercing bill
Star-BulletinBenjamin Dixon of Sydney, Australia, walked in Paragon Body Piercing last night to get his tongue pierced.
"Some of my friends have it," said Dixon, 18. "I thought it would be a cool thing to have."
With his eyes closed, tears slowly ran down his face as the body piercer pierced the tongue with a sterilized two-inch hypodermic needle. "It hurt like a (expletive)," said Dixon.
Within seconds, Dixon had a $60 silver surgical steel barbell through his tongue.
In Hawaii, there is no law against ear and body piercing of a minor without parental OK. Hawaii's trying to follow the lead of 19 other states who have laws regulating body piercing. In states such as Texas and Florida, parental consent is required and the parent has to be present while the piercing is being done.An Aiea mother was upset to find that her 16-year-old teen pierced her tongue without her consent.
"I wanted to beat the crud out of her," said the Aiea mother who didn't want her identity or her daughter's identity publicized. The Aiea teen, a junior at Pearl City High School, went to the Dark Side at 1236A Waimanu St. to get her tongue pierced. Her mother called the body-piercing shop to ask about their policy on piercing minors. The mother was told that body piercing would be done if a minor said he or she discussed it with the parents and they agreed.
Angry mom called lawmaker
When the woman found out there was no law regulating body piercing for minors, she called Sen. David Ige (D, Pearlridge, Pacific Palisades) who introduced Senate Bill 2043, which would require written consent from a parent or legal guardian before someone under 18 gets a part of their body pierced.The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. A hearing date has not yet been scheduled.
"It's violating my daughter's body," said the Aiea mother.
Hanh Tran, freshman at McKinley High School, said, "I think a lot of people will be against the bill."
"Everybody I know wants to get some part other than their ears pierced," she said. Thomas Gambino, a body piercer at the Dark Side, said parental written consent forms aren't needed for those who are at least 16 years old.
But Gambino has mixed emotions about the bill regulating body piercing for minors.
"Personally I don't like to pierce those who are under 18," said Gambino.
But he feels that teen-agers need a clean and sterile place they can go to.
An autoclave, a device that sterilizes materials with pressurized steam, and liquid disinfectants such as MadaCide and Cetylcide-G are used to sterilize jewelry and equipment, said Erin Maboll, manager of The Dark Side. At Paragon, a sterilization room is equipped with an autoclave and sink for it sole use to scrub down tools. Next to it is the piercing room where the client is taken. The body piercer's gloves are sterilized along with the forceps, gauze and rubberbands used to pierce the client.
Friends will try to do body piercing on each other in their parent's basement, Gambino said.
Piercings are permanent
"We have kids come in here with safety pins in their tongue, bleeding all over," said Gambino.Gambino, who has done body piercing for eight years, said he is in favor of the bill.
Dr. James Penoff, chief medical officer and plastic reconstructive surgeon at Straub Hospital, said, "Body piercings can leave a permanent defect." If unsterile needles are used, Penoff said, the customer could contract hepatitis or the HIV virus.
Depending on the area and the size of the body piercing, Penoff said the cost of fixing a body pierce ranges from $300 to $1,000.
"It's not a simple thing that can be rechanged," said Penoff. "It's different from getting a new hairstyle or clothing."
Those are reversible, body piercings are not, he said.
Gus Diamond, owner of Paragon Body Piercing at 1667 Kapiolani Blvd., said, "Piercing is an invasive procedure."
Diamond, who pierced 18-year-old pop singer Brittney Spears' navel on New Year's, is in favor of the bill.
Those who are under 18 have to come in with a parent or a legal guardian, Diamond said.
You can track bills, hearings and other Legislature action via: Get involved
The Legislative Reference Bureau's public access room, state Capitol, room 401. Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Phone: 587-0478; fax, 587-0793; TTY, 538-9670.
Neighbor islanders, call toll-free and enter ext. 70478 after the number:
Big Island, 974-4000; Maui,
984-2400; Kauai, 274-3141;
Molokai and Lanai, 468-4644.
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