There is evidence that requiring parental consent to access sexual and reproductive health services infringes on young people's rights to these services. Even though the age of consent law is meant to protect adolescents, requiring parental consent means young people are sometimes denied lifesaving services. In this brief, we elucidate the unintended consequences of having laws requiring parental consent to sexual and reproductive health services or unclear provisions for adolescent access to services. We also compare the conditions adolescents are allowed to access specific - but critical - sexual and reproductive health services in Zimbabwe to selected sub-Saharan African countries. We propose relevant policy reforms in light of scientific evidence.