At present only six states and the District of Columbia do not have parental notification or parental consent laws regarding abortion. Republican state senators in Washington State are seeking to remove Washington from the six, including my newly-elected senator, anti-choice, anti-marriage equality Mark Miloscia.
SB 5289 - 2015-16 Requiring notification to parents or guardians in cases of abortion.
The
Religious Tolerance site has a nice rundown of the pros and cons of these laws. The list for notification is short and focuses on control, control of females, control of physicians, parental control, control by religion. The list opposing notification is long and complex, including quite a lot of information about the health risks of notification laws. More discussion below:
From the Religious Tolerance site:
Delaying an abortion by only a few days, increases the possibility of complications arising from the procedure. Clinic and hospital abortions before the third trimester are far safer than childbirth. Teens are 24 times more likely to die from childbirth than from a legal abortion performed in the first trimester. However, the risk of death or major complications significantly increases for each week into pregnancy, particularly if the abortion is delayed until the third trimester.
WebMD lists the health risks involved in teen pregnancy:
Lack of prenatal care; higher incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension; premature births; low-weight infants; incidence of STDs postpartum depression because not emotionally prepared for responsibilities of parenthood; societal isolation of pregnant teens.
The website of
Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortion lists a number of good reasons to oppose parental notification, including
back-alley abortions and coercion toward teen motherhood.
Truthout is concerned about the general trend to obstruct access to abortion.
NARAL raises the issue of abuse:
Nearly half of pregnant teens who have a history of abuse report being assaulted during their pregnancy, most often by a family member. As the Supreme Court has recognized, “Mere notification of pregnancy is frequently a flashpoint for battering and violence within the family. The number of battering incidents is high during the pregnancy and often the worst abuse can be associated with pregnancy.”
Requiring notification to parents or guardians in cases of abortion is not comprehensive enough. A one-size-fits-all parental notification mandate can’t solve delicate family situations or foster good family communications. A bill that claims to do so is dangerous and misguided.