# Should minors have to have parental consent for abortion? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 8, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928 "2006-09-08T16:01:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/1 "2006-09-08T16:01:34Z")
What is _your opinion_ on this issue? I was reading about the law (can’t remember which state, maybe it was national) that makes it illegal for an adult to aid a minor in getting an abortion without parental consent. If this has been done on here, my apologies. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/2 "2006-09-08T16:12:12Z")
Ah, the way it works around here is _you start the ball rolling_ with your opinion first. Others may join in to support that opinion, or argue against it. ---
**Author:** ![XaMcQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f9ae1b/32.png) [@XaMcQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XaMcQ)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/3 "2006-09-08T16:13:02Z")
No. Parental notification, _maybe_, but I don’t think a parent should have the right to force a teenager one way or the other. I think there should be unbiased counselling of everybody, and education about the health risks of being pregnant at that age, the facts about abortion and about adoption, without a bunch of emotional or religious hyperbole. And I think the key to this whole issue is sex education. Kids should have all these facts pounded into them by age 12. We need sex ed in this country, not a bunch of bullshit about abstience only. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/4 "2006-09-08T16:14:44Z")
Yes, they should, just as parental consent is needed for an appendectomy, brain surgery, or removal of an ingrown toenail. It is a surgical procedure with risks. Children have never been able to make that decision for themselves, and I don’t see a compelling reason for them to be able to in this case, either. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/5 "2006-09-08T16:15:37Z")
I’m really torn on this one, and I am as pro-abortion as one gets, if there is such a thing. There are so many issues. On the one hand, of course loving parents want to know about their kids and want to help them, particularly in this situation. On the other hand, I come from a culture where men have killed themselves or their daughters because the daughters have gotten pregnant. Where men beat their pregnant daughters to within an inch of their lives, sometimes causing them to miscarry. Even in the States, where men have forced their daughters to marry the boy or forced them to give up the baby or forced them to return to the home county and marry some other boy, just to give the baby a last name. I don’t know, honestly. How do you find a happy medium between parents who genuinely care about their children and parents who want to control their children? How do you even know which is which? Do the kids always know? I always thought my parents would be happy with whatever I was happy with, but it turns out they weren’t, and only wanted to control my life and tell me exactly whom to marry. And to make it personal - I did get pregnant, and I did have an abortion, at 20. Above the age of minorism, thankfully - but my parents did attempt to send me “home” to marry. If I had been younger and they had had more control I would have had no doubt that’s what they would do. So if the gov’t had made me inform them, my life would be currently very different. Then there are the kids who think their parents are really tough and harsh (and who may just be tough but fair) but the parents actually would prefer to know, and deal with their kids themselves and help them. Is it really fair at 16 or 17 to saddle the kid with that kind of decision? But is it fair to make the decision for them? It somewhat smacks of bad parenting - sex education was not taught in the household - but it also could just be a careless teen. People always tell me, “They’re parents, they want/know what’s best for you.” Not true in remotely all situations! And yet people continue to parrot this. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/6 "2006-09-08T16:19:18Z")
[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF] Yes, they should, just as parental consent is needed for an appendectomy, brain surgery, or removal of an ingrown toenail. It is a surgical procedure with risks. Children have never been able to make that decision for themselves, and I don’t see a compelling reason for them to be able to in this case, either. [/QUOTE] It’s not remotely the same thing. Those other surgeries just don’t carry the baggage with them that abortion does. And there are several compelling reasons - the main one being that parents will FORCE them to do one or the other. Again, I am completely undecided. But I’d rather lean in the way of no consent rather than having more young girls have to bring children into this world and ruin their lives. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/7 "2006-09-08T16:33:55Z")
[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF] Yes, they should, just as parental consent is needed for an appendectomy [/QUOTE] I don’t support the ability of parents to deny appendectomy or any other time-dependent surgery. ---
**Author:** ![guppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@guppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guppy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/8 "2006-09-08T16:49:13Z")
Should a kid whose parents are Christian Scientists not be allowed life saving surgery without consent? To me these issues are somewhat tied together. I feel that, in the end, the child should have some rights and access to medical treatment regardless of what the parents think. Whether or not abortion should be part of this I am not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/9 "2006-09-08T17:09:46Z")
Yes, I believe parental consent should be needed for all elective medical procedures on a minor. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/10 "2006-09-08T17:12:43Z")
IMO, no. No more than a pregnant minor should have to have parental consent to bear a child. I.e., parents should not have the legal right either to force a minor to have an abortion if she doesn’t want one, or to prevent her from having an abortion if she does. If you would require parental consent for terminating a pregnancy, would you also require it for carrying a pregnancy to term? In other words, if the parents have the right to forbid an abortion against their daughter’s wishes, do they also have the right to insist on an abortion against their daughter’s wishes? I don’t see any logical way to argue for the first position without accepting the second (other than by imposing one’s own personal beliefs about fetal rights to life), and I just can’t justify awarding parents that much control. The fundamental problem here, ISTM, is that the physical maturity of puberty and fertility tends to arrive so much earlier than legal adulthood. Pregnancy and childbirth are things for women to make their own choices about; unfortunately, they can also happen to children who aren’t ready to make adult choices. Either we force a child to take on the burden of making an independent decision on this matter, or we force her to submit to her parents’ decision about it. Neither alternative seems like a very good one to me, but the first is less bad than the second. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/11 "2006-09-08T17:17:55Z")
[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF] Children have never been able to make that decision for themselves, … [/QUOTE] Possibly not n the USA, but in Britain children are allowed to be as responsible for making such decisions as their doctor (or a court in hard cases) allows them. This goes for major and minor operations and includes termination of pregnancy. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/12 "2006-09-08T17:54:43Z")
If we lived in a paradise, where all parents loved their children and always wanted to do what was right for them, I’d be all for it. In that world, the law would be unnecessary. In our world, with abusive parents, with step fathers who might even be the father of the baby, I’m against parental notification laws. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/13 "2006-09-08T18:06:46Z")
If parental consent is required for abortion, the implication is that the parents of the pregnant female get to make the decision _pro_ or _con_ abortion. And that, in turn, would imply that they could impose an abortion on their pregnant daugher against her will. I’m opposed to requiring parental consent for abortion and identically & reciprocally opposed to parents having the legal right to force their daughter to get one if she does not wish to abort. ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/14 "2006-09-08T18:10:02Z")
[QUOTE=Duckster] Ah, the way it works around here is _you start the ball rolling_ with your opinion first. Others may join in to support that opinion, or argue against it. [/QUOTE] But what if I don’t have an opinion on this subject yet? 😉 Because I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/15 "2006-09-08T18:43:35Z")
I hope I’m forming the kind of relationship with my kids that would allow my daughter to come forward herself and tell me if she was pregnant. Anyway she’s 8, so I have some time, hopefully! :eek: I don’t think that Ontario requires parental consent for abortions, although I’m not positive. The last people on earth that a pregnant teenager should fear are her own parents. She’s going to be emotionally distraught enough. Some love and companionship from her own parents would help immensely at this point. I would be upset, but considering the atrocities that some parents have had to face this would not be insurmountable. Rather this than a knock on the door at 2:00 A.M. from the O.P.P. (Ontario Provincial Police) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/16 "2006-09-08T21:06:52Z")
No, for the reasons **Anamika** has stated-reality just doesn’t make it possible. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/17 "2006-09-08T22:53:05Z")
I agree with **Voyager** , if for no other reason than that there’ll probably always remain questions about incest. And with that said, a teenager shouldn’t be forced _either way_, pro or con… she’s already been making decisions that her parents are unaware of. I see no good of adding possible violence to the mix. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2006, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/18 "2006-09-09T00:25:51Z")
[QUOTE=faithfool] I agree with **Voyager** , if for no other reason than that there’ll probably always remain questions about incest. And with that said, a teenager shouldn’t be forced _either way_, pro or con… she’s already been making decisions that her parents are unaware of. I see no good of adding possible violence to the mix. [/QUOTE] If you think that’s what’s best for your child, I’d say it’s foolish, but feel free to permit that liberty. But why in the world do I care even a little what someone else thinks is best for my child? Children don’t have the capacity to make major decisions. They don’t suddenly gain that capacity if it’s a _really_ important decision. The impact of the decision has no bearing. They either have the capacity or they don’t. And they don’t. If you want your kids free to choose abortions, sign some kind of a waiver, have a ball. Just don’t assume I delegate _my_ parental responsibility to strangers. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2006, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/19 "2006-09-09T00:30:09Z")
[QUOTE=Stratocaster] If you think that’s what’s best for your child, I’d say it’s foolish, but feel free to permit that liberty. But why in the world do I care even a little what someone else thinks is best for my child? Children don’t have the capacity to make major decisions. They don’t suddenly gain that capacity if it’s a _really_ important decision. The impact of the decision has no bearing. They either have the capacity or they don’t. And they don’t. If you want your kids free to choose abortions, sign some kind of a waiver, have a ball. Just don’t assume I delegate _my_ parental responsibility to strangers. [/QUOTE] That’s just it-no one BUT YOUR CHILD is going to have that option. She wouldn’t have you OR some stranger deciding for her. It’s not YOUR body-when a woman is pregnant, it is HER body that’s in question, and no one should be forced to choose something she does not want. You may not like it, but that’s too damned bad. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2006, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928/20 "2006-09-09T00:44:55Z")
[QUOTE=Stratocaster] If you think that’s what’s best for your child, I’d say it’s foolish, but feel free to permit that liberty. But why in the world do I care even a little what someone else thinks is best for my child? [/Quote] You don’t have to, nor do I think you should care what my opinion is. We were asked to discuss it and I advocate that the system stays as it currently does. > [@](#): > > Children don’t have the capacity to make major decisions. They don’t suddenly gain that capacity if it’s a _really_ important decision. Neither do they at some arbitrary age, say at like 18. > [@](#): > > The impact of the decision has no bearing. They either have the capacity or they don’t. And they don’t. So you say. I’m sure ‘children’ in other countries would disagree. As well as those who’ve taken on an adult life long before you’d view them as capable. > [@](#): > > If you want your kids free to choose abortions, sign some kind of a waiver, have a ball. Just don’t assume I delegate _my_ parental responsibility to strangers. By the same token, since the courts see this differently than you do, you are also welcome to sign a waiver and have it permanently attached to your daughter. That way, she’ll always defer responsibility to you. At least until _you_ deem otherwise. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-minors-have-to-have-parental-consent-for-abortion/371928.md?page=2)