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IN FOCUS: ARTICLE |
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Discontent with Parental Consent
by Chris Hayhurst, 01.20.06
"I knew that what I was doing was extremely important. High school kids like me needed to make their voices heard." |
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On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in the landmark case known as Roe v. Wade. With Roe, the Supreme Court recognized that the constitutional right to privacy includes a woman's right to choose whether to end a pregnancy. Today, abortion is legal in every state, although many states have laws that restrict women's access to this essential health care service.
One common restriction placed on abortion rights is legally mandated parental consent or notification. In November, California citizens rejected Proposition 73, which would have amended California's constitution to force doctors to notify parents of teens under the age of 18 before providing abortion services and require a mandatory waiting period of 48 hours. Although the California proposal was rejected, 35 other states do have laws in effect — or scheduled to take effect — requiring parental involvement before a minor can obtain an abortion. Another nine states have similar laws that are not currently enforced because courts have blocked them or are currently deciding on them.
The Dangers of Consent Laws
For most teens, parental consent laws are meaningless — studies have shown that in most situations, parents are informed and involved in their daughter's decision to have an abortion, even when notification isn't required. But unfortunately, some teens can't tell their parents about being pregnant or having an abortion because it would be dangerous for them to do so.
"Not every family is a perfect family," says Jamia Wilson, outreach manager for Vox®, Planned Parenthood's youth advocacy program. "Some teens are abused by their parents, or would be abused if their parents found out they were pregnant or were seeking an abortion." Other parents would force teens out of their homes or cut them off financially and emotionally. To get around parental notification laws, teens may seek out dangerous, illegal abortion services or even put their lives in danger by trying to cause a miscarriage that would end a pregnancy.
Protecting Teens' Health
The dangers of parental consent or notification laws have motivated many adults and teens to take action. As a 16-year-old high school student in Idaho, Matt Oppenheimer testified before the state legislature to express his opposition to an abortion bill the state was then considering. The bill would have made parental consent or notification of at least one parent mandatory for all teens under age 18.
"I was passionate about the issue," recalls Matt. "And I knew that what I was doing was extremely important. High school kids like me needed to make their voices heard." (The bill was ultimately passed into law, but was declared unenforceable by the court.) His only regret? That more teens like himself didn't speak out against the bill. "Idaho in particular is a really conservative state," says Matt. "So I think the need to speak up is even more important because no one else is speaking up around you."
Speaking Out
Want to speak out but don't know where to start? Here are a few suggestions:
- Submit letters to the editor and op-ed articles to your community and school newspapers.
- Write letters to your local elected officials urging them to protect teens' health.
- Organize a group of friends, students, and parents to go out on a "lobby day" to talk to elected officials.
- Organize a public forum that brings together parents, students, and others in the community to talk about the issues.
- Invite speakers from Planned Parenthood to speak at club events to raise awareness about consent laws.
For more advocacy ideas, and details on how you can become a volunteer youth advocate, check out the Vox Web site. |
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