Peter Hastings’ and Jerry Conley’s May 22 op-ed extolling Maine’s current parental consent law for minors seeking abortion was well crafted. It didn’t mention, however, that no parental involvement is required, it’s merely suggested. Can you imagine the Legislature enacting a law that merely suggests a speed limit?
Many are surprised to learn current law allows a 15-year-old Portland High student to walk into Planned Parenthood and get an abortion, without her parents’ knowledge, notification or consent – enabling those who profit from abortion to bypass a parent’s involvement and authority. According to Planned Parenthood’s annual report, 94 percent of their prenatal services are abortion.
A naïve, pregnant minor doesn’t stand much of a chance of making an informed decision without her parents by her side.
Maine’s amended consent bill ensures that parents maintain their rightful authority. It puts abortion in line with every other medical procedure that requires parental consent.
The proposed bill includes the safeguard of a judicial bypass that could be used if parents were suspected of abuse or neglect. Hastings and Conley indicate the bypass is “burdensome on minors,” citing a 1987 review of Minnesota’s parental consent law.
They may not be aware of a 1986 University of Minnesota study that found teenagers who have had an abortion in the past six months are six times more likely to attempt suicide than teens who haven’t had an abortion.
We’ve learned a lot in the 25 years since Maine’s consent law was enacted. Public opinion has shifted. Abortions are on the decline. According to a July 2011 Gallup poll, 71 percent of women now favor parental consent, as do most Democrats, Republicans and independents.
No one is more vulnerable than a pregnant teenager and her precious unborn child. Maine’s new amended bill keeps this permanent, life-altering decision between parents and children – not between minors and abortion providers.
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