I was walking through a mall a few years back and a mother was having her baby's ears pierced. I can still hear the scream after the first ear was pierced, and watching the baby trying to wriggle out of the chair she was harnessed into. The mother stood there laughing, while the other ear was pierced. What gives parents the right to have a baby's ears pierced? The age of accountability in most states is 12. That's when a girl can decide for herself whether she wants her ears pierced or not.