Anti-abortion advocates, emboldened by the recent reversal of Roe v. Wade, are setting their sights on what they say is a first step in placing restrictions on 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 abortion rights: requiring minors to notify their parents when seeking an abortion.
The advocates are calling on lawmakers to draft a bill in the coming legislative session, which begins in January, that would mandate people under 16 to notify their parents prior to getting an abortion.
Though such a proposal has failed in the past, leaders of anti-abortion organizations see new momentum in the wake of the June abolishing the 49-year-old law that guaranteed the right to an abortion nationally. Abortion remains legal in 黑料吃瓜网 because of legislation passed in 1990 codifying Roe v. Wade into state statute.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a massive mental and almost metaphysical shift involved in the overturning of Roe v. Wade that鈥檚 going to affect us, even in a blue state like 黑料吃瓜网,鈥� said Peter Wolfgang, executive director of the Family Institute of 黑料吃瓜网. 鈥淣o one can claim anymore that there is a right in the United States Constitution to abortion.
鈥淭he law is a teacher that鈥檚 going to eventually work on people鈥檚 minds and their spirits. Over time, I think, they鈥檙e going to be more open to the idea that abortion is not some sort of sacrosanct right in the U.S. Constitution but that abortion is a political issue like other political issues.鈥�
Wolfgang and others say their ultimate goal is to repeal the 1990 law legalizing abortion in 黑料吃瓜网, but they acknowledge the effort could take years or even decades in a liberal state. Democrats maintain strong majorities in the House and Senate, though the legislature is seeing as the fall election approaches.
For now, anti-abortion advocates are pressing for a bill on parental notification. Wolfgang said the requirement would facilitate 鈥減arental guidance for such a difficult decision鈥� and would help curb the sexual exploitation of minors. He pointed to the case of Adam Gault, a former dog trainer in West Hartford of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl. The girl鈥檚 lawyer said Gault raped and impregnated her, then forced her to have an abortion.
鈥淚n 黑料吃瓜网, you need parental permission to get a body piercing or to go to the suntan parlor. But you can get an abortion without your parents even knowing about it,鈥� Wolfgang said.
鈥淲e believe in the sanctity of life, and we also believe in the cohesion, the importance of protecting families,鈥� said Chris Healy, executive director of the 黑料吃瓜网 Catholic Conference. 鈥淥ne way that happens is you instill parental responsibilities and rights in parents to manage and supervise and work with their children to bring them into adulthood.鈥�
Bill O鈥橞rien, vice president of 黑料吃瓜网 Right to Life, hopes more candidates with anti-abortion views will win seats in the General Assembly this fall.
Parental notification 鈥渉as been tried several times in the past and hasn鈥檛 gotten too much traction,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut, of course, we will have a new legislature next year. We鈥檒l see what happens. We鈥檇 like to push it.鈥�
O鈥橞rien said some minors are pressured into having an abortion, and parental notification could bring about support.
鈥淚t could be the boyfriend pushing [an abortion], it could be the boyfriend鈥檚 parents pushing it because they don鈥檛 want him stuck with child support or something,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t could be a coach, it could be an employer, anybody that鈥檚 putting pressure on her. The parents should be aware of that and be able to give her support if she wants to carry that child.鈥�
Thirty-six states require parental involvement in a minor鈥檚 decision to have an abortion, according to , a research organization that supports abortion rights. Nine states require parental notification (with one mandating the notification of both parents), 21 require the consent of a parent (with three mandating the consent of both parents), and six require both consent and notification.
The laws vary by state. Some identification for parental consent. Others ask for proof of parenthood. Most of the 35 states with these laws allow for judicial bypass, which permits a minor to obtain approval from a court. Some exceptions under certain circumstances, such as a medical emergency, rape or incest.
Leaders of abortion-rights groups oppose these restrictions.
In a post on , the American Civil Liberties Union noted that, 鈥渕ost teens who do not involve a parent have very good reasons for not doing so.鈥�
鈥淢any come from families where such an announcement would only exacerbate an already volatile or dysfunctional family situation,鈥� officials from . 鈥淓xperience shows that teens鈥� fears are well-founded. For example, one of the very first teens who was forced to notify a parent under Colorado鈥檚 parental notice law was kicked out of her home when her mother learned of the pregnancy. Her mother took the money the teen had saved for the abortion and threatened to disown her if she went through with the procedure. When the teen called the clinic to reschedule her appointment, she was living in a friend鈥檚 car.
鈥淔ar from strengthening her family and helping her make an informed decision, the law ruined her relationship with her mother and left her homeless with an unwanted pregnancy.鈥�
Advocates for Youth, an organization that advocates for abortion and contraception access, reproductive justice and LGBTQ rights and health, among other issues, disproportionately affect minors from immigrant families.
鈥淸Some] states require parents and youth to provide government-issued identification either at the provider or to obtain notarized consent documentation,鈥� officials . 鈥淭his poses a barrier to immigrant youth with undocumented parents who fear immigration enforcement as well as to youth who are unaccompanied or whose parents have been detained or deported.鈥�
Other states 鈥渞equire proof of parenthood in the form of a birth certificate to provide parental consent, posing another barrier,鈥� they wrote.
And though judicial bypass is available in most states, many minors are unaware of it or do not understand how to get it, or they may not have the transportation necessary to get to court, the group noted.
鈥淧arental involvement mandates may risk more harm to young people by delaying their medical care,鈥� said Gretchen Raffa, vice president of public policy, advocacy and organizing with Planned Parenthood Votes! 黑料吃瓜网. 鈥淭he idea that forcing family communication will help young people 鈥� it actually could do the opposite and cause delays to them receiving time-sensitive care that they need.
鈥淔rom the logistical burdens to the emotional stress, these types of parental involvement laws do the opposite of what advocates for parental involvement actually want them to do.鈥�
Liz Gustafson, state director of NARAL Pro-Choice 黑料吃瓜网, said some minors won鈥檛 pursue needed services if they are forced to involve a parent.
鈥淚deally, a young person who faces an unintended pregnancy can seek the advice of a parent in their lives,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he majority of young people do, in fact, tell a parent about an unplanned pregnancy. But if for whatever reason a young person cannot go to a parent, they should be able to turn to a trusted adult and get the health care and information they need.鈥�
黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 law requires counseling for minors seeking an abortion, including a suggestion that they consult with a parent or family member.
Legislative leaders say despite the demise of Roe v. Wade, it鈥檚 unlikely that abortion restrictions such as parental notification would succeed in 黑料吃瓜网.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 foresee the bill getting out of a committee, or maybe not even coming to a vote in the committee, unless it鈥檚 offered as an amendment,鈥� said Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney, a Democrat from New Haven. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see it making any headway.鈥�
鈥淎s Speaker of the House, no bill could be called without my consent,鈥� said House Speaker Matthew Ritter, D-Hartford. 鈥淲ould I call that bill? No.
鈥淣ot everybody is in a situation where they are able to, because of circumstances, have that relationship or approach their parents. I have always said it鈥檚 a woman鈥檚 choice, period. And so I would not look to amend the laws we have on the books at all.鈥�
Even so, advocates on both sides of the issue are looking ahead to the election and how it could shift in one direction or the other. Bob Stefanowski, a Republican from Madison who is challenging Gov. Ned Lamont, has for a parental notification law.
鈥淐onsistent with the majority of other states, 黑料吃瓜网 should consider a parental notification requirement for minors under 16 seeking an abortion, except in the case of rape or incest,鈥� Stefanowski has said.
Lamont, a Democrat, is opposed. 鈥淢y instinct is that 98% of people, younger people, talk to their parents if they feel comfortable, they feel like it鈥檚 safe, it鈥檚 the right thing to do,鈥� he has said.
Abortion-rights advocates say they鈥檙e hoping not to lose ground in November. More than 30 seats in the are expected to be open this fall.
鈥淎bortion is definitely on the ballot this election,鈥� Raffa said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more important than ever to get people elected in those open seats 鈥� who are going to prioritize comprehensive reproductive health care and protecting and expanding access to abortion, and fight back against anti-abortion politicians who are trying to roll back our rights.鈥�