Quote:
Originally posted by Sidd Finch
Because the law typically makes no allowance for those whose parents are violent, or drug-addicted, or responsible for the pregnancy, or so many other things. A pregnant teen who won't tell her parents may have very good reasons not to.
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To the contrary, all but
one of these laws has a judicial bypass option, and (as the chart shows), in many states one is not limited to parents (let alone both of them). (In fact, I thought that some case held the lack of a bypass was unconstitutional, so I'm surprised Utah can do it, but maybe it was a circuit case.)
But what you're really arguing is that these laws should have more exceptions for certain cases. What's the problem if it's paigow, with her greenwich upbringing and solid family situation? That we can presume a minor can informedly consent to abortion, but not other medical procedures (not to mention a presumed inability to enter into all sorts of other contractual arrangements affecting the person's life in less serious ways)?
What if the law simply said there was mandatory counseling in lieu of parental consent (with specifics as to what the counseling consisted of)? Still too intrusive?
