Illinois Should Keep Parental Notification Laws In Place

A February 7 editorial by the Chicago Sun Times Editorial Board argues that Parental Notification endangers minor women in abusive homes. It is a true and sad reality that some pregnant minors come from difficult and abusive homes. But using the struggles of these young women to argue for abortions without parental notification is irresponsible and uninformed. The reality is that Parental Notification is a safety protection for minor women.

The piece glaringly omits the fact that rapists — who are sometimes family members — use abortion to destroy the evidence of and continue their sexual crimes. In fact, a shockingly large percentage of pregnant minors are impregnated by adult men. Parental Notification is a measure that helps prevent the continued abuse of minor women and prevents abusers from using abortion to cover up their crimes.

Then there are the minor women who are sex trafficked — and told, coerced, or forced by their abusers to abort the children they conceive. Parental Notification is a safeguard for these young mothers as well.

The Chicago Sun times editorial piece on Parental Notification is one sided and clearly biased towards minor abortion, however, minors deserve the support of their parents, especially when seeking to undergo a procedure that is dangerous (to the mother) and deadly (to the child) in every circumstance. The paper attempts to justify its position by stating:

Illinois law already allows pregnant women or girls — not their parents — to decide whether to keep a baby or put it up for adoption. It is their decision alone, as well, whether to have certain doctor-recommended medical tests or a cesarean section.

This is a misleading statement that is not reflective of the law in question. A minor does have freedom to make decisions about her medical care; however, that is not the same as making life-altering and dangerous decisions without the involvement of her parents.

In an editorial favoring Parental Notification Mary Hallan FioRito noted that parents need to give their consent for everything including ear piercing. “My 16-year-old daughter and I recently celebrated a rite of passage: she had her ears pierced. We drove to the shopping mall, she picked out a pretty pair of gold studs, and I was presented with permission papers and consent forms.” Parental Notification protects young women from injury — and in the case of abortion, that includes the emotional distress and trauma that an abortion can cause.

The Editorial Board also fails to consider other crises that may be averted by Parental Notification. Not only can it lead to the rescue of a preborn child who may have otherwise been killed, but also the rescue of a born child — the pregnant minor — whose risk of attempting suicide increases exponentially in the six months following an abortion compared to girls who did not undergo abortions. Like so many others, Hillary Kieft nearly lost her post-abortive teenage daughter to suicide after the abortion industry carried out an abortion on the girl without Hillary’s knowledge.

Post-abortive women and girls need the support of friends and family in their healing, and a young woman that is hiding her abortion may not received the necessary life saving and healing care of those around her.

The abortion industry is going to treat this law as a barrier to abortion access. The truth is that Parental Notification helps minors; the only thing it harms is the abortion industry’s bottom line. Commonsense people on both sides of the abortion debate recognize the value of parental involvement. This does not need to be a divisive issue. The abortion industry wants it to be. Let us not let them. Join us in our stand to protect young women by keeping Parental Notification.