While a majority of pro-choice lobbyists fight vehemently against the Parental Consent bill requiring minors to inform their parents before getting an abortion, as a parent and as a responsible Washington citizen, I believe beyond all doubt that this policy needs to be in place to safeguard our young women from having to make such significant decisions entirely on their own.
In most states, parental consent is required for tattoos, body piercings, or even a school field trip. In that light, the idea that minors should be allowed to undergo a procedure as physically and emotionally devastating as abortion without the parents' knowledge bears no logic.
Nobody would want better for a child than their parent. This is why it is paramount that parents be made a part of the conversation. Abortion demands, quite literally, a life-and-death decision regarding an unborn child, mandating an immense and comprehensive consideration of all options available that many minors may not yet be aware of.
This is especially true considering the questionable quality of sex education offered in our schools which is evident by the high rates of teenage pregnancies. Having a parent who can offer emotional and psychological support before, during, and after the procedure to minors and help uncover cases of abuse or rape should be reasons enough to support this well-intentioned policy.
There is an increasing body of evidence to back this up. A 2013 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health showed that an overwhelming 93% of teens felt supported by their mothers during the process. Young women who did not have their parents for support were found to be twice as likely to report feeling very sad or ashamed in seeking abortions. Additionally, those who informed their mothers were more likely to feel relieved after the procedure and were able to cope better than the minors who did not.
These statistics unequivocally nullify the pro-choice claim that requiring parental consent only adds to the psychological burden upon pregnant minors. Even considering the possibility that not all parents have the best intentions or the necessary qualifications to assist their pregnant daughters effectively, we have a provision of judicial bypass that minors may utilize to appeal against this requirement and choose what is best for them.
Therefore, the discussion does not stem as much from the perspective of reasonable law or reasonable medicine as it does from the angle of undue politics. The policy does not challenge young women and their rights to obtain an abortion, nor does it go against our fundamental right to bodily autonomy. All it does is open avenues for healthy conversations about abortion, its impact, its implications, and potential options to vulnerable young women about what is right for them and their unborn children. As well as open the conversation with people with their best interests at heart: their parents.
Ultimately, in a system where we expect a phone call from schools when our daughters are given so much as cough syrup, there should be no excuse for removing parents from the equation when minors are considering something as significant as an abortion. Therefore, minors should not consent to abortions without parental consent.
