Conservative Group Asserts Causal Link Between Parental Involvement Laws, Declining Abortion Rates

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Women's Health / Gynecology;  Public Health
Article Date: 24 Sep 2008 - 9:00 PDT

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Abortion rates drop by an average of 13.6% in states that have enacted laws requiring minors to notify their parents or obtain parental consent before having an abortion, according to a recent report commissioned by the conservative evangelical group Family Research Council, U.S. News & World Report reports.

The survey -- conducted by University of Alabama political science professor and senior FRC fellow Michael New -- analyzed data from 1985 to 1999 to assess the effect of parental involvement laws on abortion rates. The study found that overall abortion rates fell by about 50% during the study period, and abortion rates among 13- to 17-year-old girls dropped from 13.5 per 1,000 girls to 6.5 per 1,000 girls during the study period. According to New, "parental involvement laws are an important causal factor" in the falling rates, and states with the strictest consent requirements have been the "most effective in reducing abortion rates among minors."

According to U.S. News & World Report, 36 states require some degree of parental involvement for minors considering abortions, and three states require minors to obtain consent from both parents before undergoing the procedure.

According to New, the survey's findings have "clear policy implications" for issues such as the proposed legislation that would make it illegal for a non-parent to bring a minor across state lines for an abortion. He added that the findings also underscore the importance of future Supreme Court appointments, which likely would be determined by the next U.S. president. Marjorie Dannenfelser -- president of the Susan B. Anthony List, an organization advocating the election of women opposed to abortion rights to Congress -- said, "The contrast between presidential tickets couldn't be greater." Dannenfelser said that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, has "passionately defended Alaska's parental consent law," while Democrats such as presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) "consistently vote to undermine" such legislation.

In an attempt to counter the efforts of antiabortion advocates, the National Institute of Reproductive Health plans to launch a multimillion-dollar advertisement campaign claiming that 21 states would ban abortions if the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. The ads, which show a woman behind bars, will begin airing in Colorado, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in October. According to Nancy Keenan of NARAL Pro-Choice America, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain's (Ariz.) selection of Palin "only reinforces how out of touch he is with the vast majority of Americans who oppose allowing politicians to interfere with women's personal, private medical decisions." Keenan added, "On choice-related issues, the advantage goes to Obama" (Halloran, U.S. News & World Report, 9/19).

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