1
Research Paper
ENG 232/Dr. Powers
27 Mar 99
TEEN ABORTION
It is ironic that, while a teenage girl must obtain parental consent for such a minor procedure as having her ears pierced, for her to lay her life on the line (as well as that of her unborn child) and obtain an abortion, no parental notification is required. If a teenager, because of her immaturity and inexperience in decision-making, may not enroll herself in the school of her choice without her parent’s signature and consent, how can she be expected to independently come to a decision regarding such a serious issue as whether to obtain an abortion?
It is also strikingly ironic that the same parents who would be required by law to provide extended financial and medical assistance to the child, if any aspect of the abortion went awry and left her, say, paralytic or comatose—and the same parents who could be required by law to support an infant born of their child (if the teen did not elect to procure an abortion)—these same parents are not themselves protected by law to assist the child in deciding whether to even carry the infant to term. Parental consent or notification should be required for abortions for minors.
Pettigrew 2
Studies have indicated that the effects of abortion upon adolescents are greater than effects upon adults (Gillham, 1997).
These procedures are very risky to any female. Complications to the mother occur in one of four adult legal abortions; among adolescents the risk increases substantially to one in three. Further, the fact that 2 to 5 percent of abortions result in sterility might not disturb a woman in her 30s, but it could have devastating effects upon a young teen’s relationships and future plans for marriage (Gillham).
The Essay on Matt Fong Abortion Child Parents
Abortion: Is It Right or Is It Wrong! In the L. A. Times, "Abortion Issue Taking On New Prominence" is an interesting news article that debates about abortion. Is an abortion without a parent's consent moral or immoral According to Matt Fong, he says it's immoral because a minor should not have the right to an abortion, if her parents are not informed. He understands that parents should at least ...
So, to say that parents would shield their children from irreparable pain and hurt is not unreasonable.
Contrary to public thought, there is no such thing as a “safe” abortion. Approximately 258 physical complications can occur in an induced abortion, including hemorrhage; shock; brain damage; septicemia; cerebral, cardiac or pulmonary embolism (Gall, 1992).
According to a study on induced adolescent abortions, published by the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, adolescent’s experience profoundly marked psychological effects in the abortion aftermath (SSWUC, 1995).
Severe depression, crying spells, massive social withdrawal and even suicide, among other symptoms, have been cited as directly relating to teen’s abortion. No parents would want to see their daughter in that state of mind.
Pettigrew 3
One way or another, parents are involved in financial issues that arise from adolescent abortions. For example, a minor child had an illegal abortion two day ago. Her parents were not informed. The minor child starts to have complications from the abortions, now medical attention is needed. She’s rushed to the hospital, and while there the parents are being asked what happened. They cannot answer because they don’t know what happened to their child. Now, because the child is a minor the parents are stuck with the hospital bills. Therefore, the same parents that are being held responsible for the incurred financial obligations deserve to be notified when an important decision concerning their minor child, to have an abortion, is determined. One provision of the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1982 requires that for a minor to obtain an abortion, the informed consent of one of her parents must be obtained. It also provides for a judicial bypass option if the minor does not want to or cannot obtain a parent’s consent. (Tatalovich, 1997).
Parents have a moral, legal, and ethical reason to hold up to their responsibilities concerning their minor child. In the State of California a “child” means a person under the age of 18 years (CPC, 1995).
The Term Paper on Cultural Differences in Parent-Child Communication
Today’s children face more diversity than their parents were when they were at the same age. The cultural differences in how the parents deal and communicate with their children around the world are a great challenge. Parent’s involvement in their children’s literacy and communication either in school, home or community will be effective through communication strategies and awareness about ...
Any person having the care or custody of a child, willfully causes or permits the child health to be placed in a endangered situation, as proscribed by Section 11165.3,
Pettigrew 4
California Penal Code, including the intentional failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical care is neglecting the child (CPC, 1998).
Since parents can be held liable for situations such as those mentioned above, parents should be consented concerning their minor children having abortions.
Teenagers, however, are subject to state laws; in 25 states, a minor cannot seek an abortion with out parental consent. While vulnerable to moral condemnation, and even harassment, adult women have the protection of liberal legislation in seeking an abortion (in Roe v. Wade, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that abortion is a constitutional right).
Traditionally, any medical treatment of a minor requires parental consent, and as the Planned Parenthood Fact sheet “Teenagers, Abortion, and government Intrusion Laws”
point out, a physician treating a minor without parental consent is committing the common law tort of battery (PPFA, 1992).
However, except “in the area of abortion, there have never been criminal penalties for treating a minor on her own consent.”
Most minor children should rely on their parents for moral support when dealing with issues of abortion. When problem of abortion issues overshadows children, the child should be able
Pettigrew 5
to looks for moral support from their parents. Children love to depend on their parents for just about anything.
Issues of whether a minor needs parental consent to obtain an abortion was one of the earliest issues to reach the Supreme Court after Roe. In 1976, in Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth, the Court held that laws requiring parental consent were unconstitutional because they delegated to parents an arbitrary veto power over the minor’s decision. However, the Court hinted that states could require parental consent for minors who were too immature to make the decision.
The Essay on Teen Curfew Parents Children Law
ESSAY 1 The Opposition of Teen Curfew A teen curfew law was recently passed in the District of Columbia. This was a needed law to alleviate crime teenagers fall victim of. Minors under the age of 17 should be in their home at a very reasonable hour so they will be energetic, fresh and alert when attending school. I am convinced that the more freedom teenagers have the more opportunity they have to ...
In 1979, case of Bellotti v. Baird, Court decisions affirmed that states may generally require parental consent as long as they provide a procedure whereby minor may apply to a judge for a waiver of the requirement. The judge must waive the requirement if the minor is mature enough to decide on the abortion on her own or if an abortion would be in her best interest.
In 1990, in the case of Hodgson v. Minnesota, the Court extended the rationale of the parental consent cases to laws that require notice to both of a minor’s parents. The Court ruled that states may not require notification of both parents without providing an alternate way for mature minors to obtain a
Pettigrew 6
waiver. The Court left open; however, whether laws that require notice to only one parent must provide an alternative.
Opponents of notification laws argue that, as a practical matter, they provide an opportunity for parents to prevent their daughters from obtaining an abortion. Also, that minors who are afraid to involve their parents will delay seeking abortion, seek them in other states, or seek illegal abortions. More than thirty states have enacted laws requiring parental consent or notification. Approximately twenty-two have laws with a waiver mechanism in effect for mature or “best interests” minors (Tatalovich, 1997).
Despite more restrictive legislation, teenage abortions have declined since 1980. According to the 1994 report Sex and America’s Teenagers, “Fewer teens are becoming pregnant, and in recent years, fewer pregnant teens have chosen to have an abortion” (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1994).
In 1992 in the U.S., there were about 308,000 teen abortions, which amounts to nearly 40% of pregnancies (excluding miscarriages among teenagers. In general, 61% of teenage abortions are performed with the knowledge of at least one parent, and the informed parents mostly support their daughter’s decision to have an abortion (PPFA, 1992).
Pettigrew 7
Works Cited
Beckwith, Francis J., and Louis P. Pojman. The
Abortion Controversy: 25 Years after
The Research paper on The Abortion Issue
... parents about their pregnancies ( Bender 97 ). When the state’s parental consent law in affect botched illegal abortions increase ( Bender 97). Many teenagers and Americans ... Callahan, Daniel. Abortion: Law, Choice and Morality. New York: Macmillan ... abortion on a pregnant unemancipated minor unless the attending physician has secured the written consent from one of the minor's parents or the minor's ...
Roe v. Wade. 2nd ed. Wadsworth: California,
1998.
California Penal Codes. Compact Ed. Wests: California, 1995
Cummings, Brenda. “Who gets abortions.” U.S. News &
World Report 19 Jan. 1998: 26-32.
Gall, Susan B., and Jerome Kagan, eds. The Gale
Encyclopedia of Childhood & Adolescence. New
York: Ablex, 1992.
Gillham, Bill. The Facts about Teenage Pregnancies.
Virginia, 1997.
Hern, Warren M. Abortion Practice. Philadelphia: J.B.
Lippincott, 1984.
“Induced Adolescent Abortions.” (Study of the School of Social
Welfare.) Journal of the American Medical Association
274, no. 1, November 5, 1995: 72-76.
Klassel, D. (1993) Abortion. In Encyclopedia of Marriage
and the Family (Vol. 2. 1-12).
New York: Macmillan
“Mandatory Parental Consent to Abortion.” (Report of the
American Medical Association’s Council on Ethical
And Judicial Affairs.) Journal of the American
Medical Association 269, no. 1, January 6, 1993: 82-86.
Sex and America’s Teenagers. New York: Alan Guttmacher
Institute, 1994.
Tatalovich, Raymond. The Politics of Abortion in the
United States and Canada: A Comparative Study.
New York: Sharpe, 1997.
“Teenagers, Abortion, and Government Intrusion Laws.”
(Planned Parenthood Fact sheet).
New York: Planned
Parenthood Federation of America, October 1992.
Pettigrew 8
Cases
Bellotti v. Baird 443 U.S. 622 (1979).
Hodgson v. Minnesota 497 U.S. 297 (1980).
Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth 428
U.S. 52 (1976)
Roe v. Wade 410 U.S. 113 (1973).
Bibliography
Works Cited
Beckwith, Francis J., and Louis P. Pojman. The
Abortion Controversy: 25 Years after
Roe v. Wade. 2nd ed. Wadsworth: California,
1998.
California Penal Codes. Compact Ed. Wests: California, 1995
Cummings, Brenda. “Who gets abortions.” U.S. News &
World Report 19 Jan. 1998: 26-32.
Gall, Susan B., and Jerome Kagan, eds. The Gale
Encyclopedia of Childhood & Adolescence. New
York: Ablex, 1992.
Gillham, Bill. The Facts about Teenage Pregnancies.
The Essay on Partial-Birth Abortion & Its Affect On The American People
"Partial-Birth Abortion and its Affect on the American People" We sat and watched our televisions and rejoiced as Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced to life in prison for the brutal killing of hundreds of men, women, and children. Yet, right now, as you are reading this paper, another life has been taken...a child's life. A child who, one day, could have been seen take his or her first steps, opened ...
Virginia, 1997.
Hern, Warren M. Abortion Practice. Philadelphia: J.B.
Lippincott, 1984.
“Induced Adolescent Abortions.” (Study of the School of Social
Welfare.) Journal of the American Medical Association
274, no. 1, November 5, 1995: 72-76.
Klassel, D. (1993) Abortion. In Encyclopedia of Marriage
and the Family (Vol. 2. 1-12).
New York: Macmillan
“Mandatory Parental Consent to Abortion.” (Report of the
American Medical Association’s Council on Ethical
And Judicial Affairs.) Journal of the American
Medical Association 269, no. 1, January 6, 1993: 82-86.
Sex and America’s Teenagers. New York: Alan Guttmacher
Institute, 1994.
Tatalovich, Raymond. The Politics of Abortion in the
United States and Canada: A Comparative Study.
New York: Sharpe, 1997.
“Teenagers, Abortion, and Government Intrusion Laws.”
(Planned Parenthood Fact sheet).
New York: Planned
Parenthood Federation of America, October 1992.
