Why Parental Consent Laws Are Necessary

Darby Callahan

Darby Callahan

Did you know that in Dec 2020, Massachusetts repealed their parental notice for minors to receive abortions. The main reason minors may not want to have to notify their parents about their pregnancy and ask for their approval is due to domestic violence, rape, or incest. The repeal of parental notice law is very dangerous for young women, and there is a reason that the pro-life movement supports these laws.

Children can only work if they are fourteen years old and are restricted to only certain types of labor unless they are family farmers. Children cannot purchase guns, alcohol, or tobacco. Children cannot go to war. Children cannot sign their own legal documents without a parent also signing on their behalf. Health care also requires all children to have parental permission for certain procedures and insurance. All of these other things already require parental permission, and abortion should be included. Parents have a right to know when their children are going in for an invasive and life-threatening procedure, which abortion can be. 

Massachusetts became the first state to overturn a parental notice requirement by legislation. The bill was originally vetoed by the governor, but Massachusetts legislation has overturned that veto making the law effective immediately. According to msmagazine, 

“With this law, Massachusetts becomes the first state ever to legislatively remove a parental consent requirement as unnecessary—and the law went into effect immediately, meaning it’s now legal for 16- and 17-year-olds to get an abortion without parental consent in the state. Similar efforts to repeal parental consent laws are underway in Illinois, Virginia, Michigan, and Wisconsin.” 

This is not only disgusting but also crazy. It is disgusting to know that young girls can go into an abortion clinic and get an abortion without a parent ever knowing. They can act like they never were pregnant. What happens when they regret their abortion and there is no one to help them because they did not tell anyone about their abuse or rape? How does this really help women in crisis pregnancies? The truth is there is no real reason that parents should not be made aware of their children’s actions. Parents are their caregivers and no government has the right to take away parental rights. 

Currently, 13 states have no parental involvement required for minors obtaining an abortion.

Photo by Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash

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Darby started writing articles pertaining to the Pro-Life movement during his time at Loras College. He is currently the Duhawks for Life's Communications Director.

The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Human Defense Initiative.

Darby Callahan

Darby Callahan

Darby started writing articles pertaining to the Pro-Life movement during his time at Loras College. He is currently the Duhawks for Life's Communications Director.

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