What Rights Do Pregnant Teenagers Have?
Teenagers Don’t Have the Right to Make Their Own Decisions about Abortion In Alaska, a pregnant teenager must have the consent of one parent or go through a court procedure to get a judge’s permission in order to have an abortion. Similar laws in most states effectively curtail teenagers’ abortion rights through parental consent or parental notification laws. The Alaska parental consent law burdens young women by forcing them to go to court, go out of state to seek abortion services, or to carry unwanted pregnancies to term. The anti-abortion forces want to make it even more difficult for teenagers to obtain abortions. They are advocating legislation which would open the confidential court procedure to parents. This would in effect eliminate the judicial consent procedure as an option for teens who feel they cannot tell their parents. Under the guise of enhancing parent-child communication and parental rights, the anti-choice movement is jeopardizing the lives and choices of teens. Wha
