BY JULIA SAFRIN
Abortions in the U.S. are legal during up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. States, however, can pass their own laws to put restrictions on abortions. The Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling has never not been controversial, especially in today’s age, where political beliefs and ideologies are as polarized as ever.
The Florida legislature recently passed a law that Governor Ron Desantis (Republican) expected to sign, requiring girls under the age of 18 to obtain parental consent before getting an abortion.
This new law expands on an already existing law that requires a girl’s parents to be notified before she has an abortion.
These laws, besides aligning with conservative pro-life views, are intended to increase family communication and parental responsibility. However, the main motive is to put as many restrictions on Roe v. Wade as possible, since most Republicans are pro-life.
Roe v. Wade was ruled in favor of abortions because abortions have to do with a right to privacy. The right to privacy is protected by some legislation such as the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protects a person’s health information. Additionally, this right is implied, but not explicitly stated, under the ninth and 14th amendments in the Constitution.
However, the main motive is to put as many restrictions on Roe v. Wade as possible, since most Republicans are pro-life.
A girl’s right to privacy is obstructed if she is required to obtain parental consent to get an abortion under the age of 18. Everyone is entitled to a private life no matter their age, sex or background.
Although these laws are supposedly intended to increase family communication and parental responsibility, they may have adverse effects on some families.
These girls have a right to privacy and may be keeping their unexpected pregnancy a secret from their families for a reason. Not every family is supportive of unplanned teen pregnancy and if it does occur, these girls can potentially face serious consequences and backlash from their families, such as being disowned and kicked out by their parents or legal guardians.
Girls and women alike should be able to make decisions about their reproductive health for themselves. Putting all religious and political views aside, abortions are a matter of privacy and it would be unjust to infringe on the privacy of underage girls by requiring them to get parental consent in order to have access to this medical resource.
Nobody besides the parents of the baby needs to know that an underage girl or any girl or woman is experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and what path she decides to take, whether it is keeping the child, abortion or adoption. It is the woman’s decision to make, not the father of their child’s, their parents or anyone else’s.
Putting all religious and political views aside, abortions are a matter of privacy and it would be unjust to infringe on the privacy of underage girls by requiring them to get parental consent in order to have access to this medical resource.
The final decision on what to do about an unexpected pregnancy should be up to the girl or woman experiencing it because they’re the ones going through it and possibly carrying a child to term, not their parents or the government or anyone else.
Teenagers are going to explore their sexuality. While some will be responsible, others will be irresponsible and are not old enough or mature enough to be a parent yet. It is not fair for a child to be born into poor and stressful circumstances like an unsupported teen mom.
Underage girls are people too and should be treated and respected as such. Their privacy should be respected and they should be allowed to get an abortion without parental consent and without their parents knowing of it in general. Abortions go deeper than political and religious beliefs; they are a matter of privacy and a woman’s choice and privacy should be respected because it’s nobody else’s business but her own.
Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Times
