Should Teenage Girls Be Allowed to Get an Abortion With or Without Parent Permission?
(This article deals with the laws that situations that some states have taken apart of in respect with teenage abortion)
Minors, meaning people under the age of 18, are not allowed to drink, smoke, vote, and such things, but in some states it is fine to get an abortion without parental consent. Some how that does not sound right.
At an age when girls are the most fragile they have the power to make a long term effect decision, whether they want to or do not want to have an abortion. To some girls, getting an abortion seems like the simplest thing, to other girls, getting an abortion is the only way to go. According to the statistics almost 1 million teenage women---10% of all women age 15-19 and 19% of those who have had sexual intercourse ---become pregnant. That also means that nearly 4 in 10 teen pregnancies (excluding those ending in miscarriages) are terminated by abortion. That means about 274, 000 abortions among teens in 1996. However, the real issue at hand here, is whether teenage girls should be allowed to get an abortion with parent permission or without parent permission.
This issue is extremely controversial that deals with many aspect. If a teenage girl is allowed to get an abortion without parent permission then there can be an emotional effect on the teenager. For example, they may feel that they have done something wrong because they did not notify their parent or might have some other kind of feelings dealing with their parents to work out. Not only that but if parent permission is needed to get an abortion then teenage girls will start getting illegal abortions. That means instead of having things done properly by a doctor, there is more probability that things can go wrong if the girls get an illegal abortion. The best thing would be to get protection, but 80% of young people say that they would rather take their chances than get birth control if it meant telling their parent, according to Plan Parenthood. This also means that teenagers are not comfortable talking to their parents about birth control and much less abortion. If getting parental permission was necessary then more teenagers would get illegal abortions putting their lives at risk. Not only that if companies were forced to notify parents that their child is thinking of getting an abortion, then that might discourage teenagers from going to their free programs about safe sex and so forth.
However, parental permission is good. If the girl is a minor then it should be required that the hospital notify the parent. The parent pays for the abortion therefore they should have a right to know. Not only that but the parent is responsible for that child until they turn 18. If the teenager gets into an accident then the parent is liable, therefore if the girl gets an abortion then the parents should know. According to statistics 61% of minors who have abortions do so with at least one parent�s knowledge, not only that but the great majority of parents support their daughter�s decision to have an abortion. Having one parent present during the abortion procedure might just make the live of the girl easier and allow her to deal with the consequences better. At the end the girl should be ready to deal with the consequences of having an abortion if she so does decide to do so.
According to the Alan Guttcher Institute the laws on teenage abortion in regards with parent permission, notification, and consent, have changes. In seventeen states(1) parental consent before a minor may obtain an abortion is required. Out of those seventeen states one state Idaho, has portions of this law blocked pending on resolution o a legal challenge and two states, Mississippi and North Dakota, require the involvement of both parents. Further more four states, Idaho, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin include other alternatives to parental involvement or judicial bypass such as grandparent giving consent. In four states(2) parental consent requirement are enjoined. Out of those four states one states does not include judicial bypass procedure in the enjoined and that state is New Mexico. In fourteen states(3) parental notification before a minor may obtain an abortion is required. Out of those fourteen states six of them, Delaware, Iowa, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia, include other involvement laws. Nevertheless, two states, Arkansas and Minnesota, require involvement of both parents and Ohio does not include a judicial bypass procedure in its law. Still Utah�s law is more complicated, a revised law requires parental consent is currently no in effect, meanwhile, the parental notification requirement remain in effect. In six states(4) parental notice requirements are enjoined. Colorado�s law needg the involvement of both the parents and does not include a judicial bypass procedure, there is an alternative to parent involvement. In Illinois there is also an alternative to parental involvement. Finally, nine states(5) do not require parental involvement. However, in Connecticut minor is required to receive counseling that includes a discussion of involving her parents.
(1) Alabama, Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. (2) Alaska, Arizona, California, and New Mexico (3) Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia. (4) Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Montana, Nevada, and New Jersey. (5) Connecticut, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
In conclusion I think that all of these laws are great and that the last one which states that "Minor is required to receive counseling that includes a discussion of involving her parents" is good, even if the state does not require parental involvement. Furthermore, it would be good if all the states adapted some kind of parent involvement or notification that lets the parent know what is happening with their child, even if the even (the abortion) has already taken place.
All the statistics that are not sited are from the Teenage abortion Web Page [wwwstu.tcu.edu/emetzler/introduction.html]