The latest slew of so-called parental notification/consent laws for abortion could also be accurately termed we-just-indirectly-admitted-that-the-fetus-is-a-part-of-the-mother's-body laws. Or maybe we-make-no-sense-but-let's-screw-up-your-life-anyway laws.
Not that I'm ever surprised when conservatives act senseless, ludicrous, ridiculous, damaging, convoluted and downright hypocritical.
Last time I checked, the conservative argument was that life begins at conception, making pregnant teenagers mothers at the start of their pregnancy. Right? Wouldn't the "parent" in the "parental notification" part of these laws be the pregnant minor, not her parents?
Are we now giving grandparents absolute power over their grandchild? Does this mean that once the baby is born, the grandparents should have automatic custody? If not, what's the difference between a pregnant minor and a minor that has just given birth? I thought there WAS no difference, conservatives?
What other life-altering decisions should parents be allowed to make for their daughters? Can parents force their daughters to donate a kidney against their will? Can they force them to marry? Why are the parental rights of a pregnant minor's parents sacred, but not those of the actual pregnant minor? And why are said rights sacred only when it comes to abortion?
What I want to know is, if parents can force their daughters NOT to obtain abortions, can they also force them TO obtain abortions? Does it work both ways? Either the parents have absolute power over their daughter's body, or they don't. You can't have your cake and eat it too, conservatives...although I know you love to try.
Pregnancy, by the way, is not risk-free. Neither are abortions, but pregnancy on average is far more dangerous than a first trimester abortion. Pregnancy carries the risk of death - and, unsurprisingly, America actually has some of the worst maternal mortality rates among developed nations...and our rates are RISING! A parent who forces their minor to continue with an unwanted pregnancy is forcing that young woman to endure far more risk and far more medical procedures than she would if she had obtained an abortion. This includes prenatal care and the birth itself, which is not necessarily a medical procedure but certainly carries the risk of a parentally-forced c-section or a parentally-forced episiotomy on top of everything else. And then the baby is born and all of a sudden those same people are no longer the decision-makers. What changed?
You know what policy actually makes sense? Allow women and girls to make the decision they feel is right for their body and their lives. You don't have to bring parents, grandparents, spouses, or judges into the mix. Trust women. If you can trust us to raise a child, you should be able to trust us to decide whether that is the right course of action or not. But I guess that would be altogether too unnerving for some folks.
Hey, while I'm at it...since life begins at conception...shouldn't child support?