Confirmation is confirming you believe in the teachings of the faith (for those who were baptized too young to give conscious consent) given this teen clearly is advocating a position oposite of his faiths teaching he does not confirm to abide by the faith and was rightly denied to be confirmed as it would have been a false claim on his part to do so.
Why is this a news story or even shocking?
Because these folks and a lot of others believe it's their right to claim they're Catholic even when they don't believe a thing the Church teaches.
They see the Church as a part of their family traditions or ethnic identity, not as The One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church Jesus Christ Himself founded. They've bought into the idea that their local church is something for them to mold into their own image rather than their being part of the One True Church that keeps the sheep from going astray and helps to mold them into the image of Christ.
We need to pray that Christ will smack these folks upside the head so they'll see that they're not tinkering around with just some family traditions or personal preferences.
Many years ago before I served in WWII I was baptized and at a later age I was confirmed in my Lutheran Church. Though there have been times the premises of confirmation were not kept I always held/believed that that my baptism and confirmation were bound by the faith of the Church. I believe the boy and his mother really don’t believe in such a bond for a Catholic faith.