Should Parental Consent be required for a Minor to Obtain an Abortion Research Paper

Should Parental Consent be required for a Minor to Obtain an Abortion - Research Paper Example There are laws that restrict a teenager’s access to abortion. In many US states, there are laws that restrict minors under the age of 18 years from procuring an abortion unless their parents’ consent is obtained or they have involved the court. These laws take two forms. Some laws require a physician to seek a parent’s consent before procuring abortion on a minor (Cartoof & Klerman, 2011). Other laws require the parents to be notified before the procedure is performed. Parental involvement is primarily meant to protect the minors. In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Judges Kennedy, O’Connor, and Souter were of the view that parental involvement and consent is intended to protect the children. The case was based on an assumption that minors will benefit from consultation with parents since parents have their best interests at heart. A study conducted by national researchers concluded that parents display a disappointment when their minors’ report pregnancy cases. However, parents don’t respond with violence, but parental stress is the most probable result of such announcements. Claims that minors may resort to unsafe alternatives, is untrue. A study of self-induced medical abortions in 2007 revealed this fact. In fact, many people who used such methods were adults! No cases were reported where minors resorted to unsafe abortion procedures after disclosing their pregnancy to their parents (Murphy, 2014). It has been established that many juvenile pregnancies result from rape or coercion. In fact, National studies reveal that 70% of teenage pregnancies result from adult sexual partners. These adults may want the minors to procure abortions to save themselves from lawful consequences. Laws on parental consent on abortions prevent such predatory practices on children. The Supreme Court succinctly explains why or how minors benefit from parental involvement.