Parent's Right to Know About Abortion?

[SimpleBlackHumor89]

well, in california, we're havin this voting thing for several propostions. one of them is Prop 73, which forces doctors to notify a minor's parents about their daughter's abortion.

Would you vote yes on this prop. why or why not. keep in mind that, people predict that, if californians vote yes on it. they predict that alot of minors would be forced back to the days of using crude methods of getting rid of the baby, often putting themselves at risk for infections, and possibly death

also, if YOU were going to hav an abortion, would you want your parents to know about it, or get it privately done.


i would vote no on the prop. cos if the girl wants to hav an abortion, let her. it's her baby, n if she dont want her parents to know, they dont hav to know.

if i was to hav an abortion, i wouldnt tell my parents. it's mainly about letting parents know that you HAD sex... it's quite embarassin.

[kewlpiggy88]

yeah, my friend is writing an article about this for newspaper (op piece) and what she said is that...instead of having safe abortions, the girl might go get an illegal one done just so her parents won't know...and abortion is a really dangerous surgery - u should let someone who's licensed to abort the baby.

[kasic_fantasy]

hmm weird...i'm going for 'yes'.

the thing is...its their respondsibility to know what's going on with us the kids. ok it may sound pretty embarrassing but then what's done is done. but provided that the girl gets to carry out the decision she made...not the parents. its just a duty to let them know...but not for them to control.

but the main thing is...we kids gotta know what we are doing :shifty:

[Zainou]

I m in the side v Kasic_Fantasy. R we agreeable v marriage? If so, parents should not worry about their children after their marriage. Because by tht time, they r old enough to stand on their feet. However, whatever happen before tht esp. when their age is like 'underage', they hv the right to know whatever their children r doing. Yes! Like what Kasic_Fanatasy said, children r parent's reponsibility. Perhaps the better saying is, parents are responsible for their children's action fully before they can survive on their which is when they have work.

I m agaisnt premature sex. If it is gng 2 b done, at least, they must face the possible consequences esp. hving a baby. Therefore, they must b ready for it. When they r ready, they shouldn't hide about it. Whats more of destroying an innocent life.

[JianDan[Ai]]

This is a sticky topic. As SBH89 mentioned, if this prop was to pass in our state, underage girls would find alternative ways of getting an abortion or cause a miscarriage and that is almost a guarenteed way of causing themselves either infection, or some other health problem. I also want to say, that if a underage girl is irresponsible enough to (1) get pregnant, and (2) not tell her parents, and in fact want to hide it from them, MOST LIKELY, the parents have not done a good job with their daughter and I doubt informing them would really do any good in this situation. (Personally after listening to WAY too much "Love-Line" you will get the idea, that most girls in that situation have abusive fathers/uncles/stepfathers who drink way too much who not only physically and mentally abuse, but also sexually abused their daughters/nieces)

So I would definetly vote no. Reason being mostly because the parents whose teenager daughter is in such a position, obviously aren't doing a good job parenting, and therefore letting them know would in fact probably make the problem worse.

[zhoudaoyan]

I think parents should have the right to know whether their daughter is going to have an abortioin.. but only in a GENERAL aspect. It is natural for the daughter to not want her parents to know because she may feel embarrassed, scared, or some feelings along those lines... but in the end, parents are loving and caring.. and no matter what.. in the end they will STILL LOVE YOU. so i think it best if the girl does talk and confront her parents about her problem and at least tell them.. but it should be that in the end.. it is still the GIRLS decision. yeah. i think that parents should be told. but in the end, the GIRL is the one who holds her own future. under other circumstances however, such as broken households or families with violent or such parents, where it is understandable that the mother or father might not approve of the daughters wishes and be violent or something like that, the daughter should talk things over with a "guardian" or supervisor person.. the girl should NOT go and just do it on her own because as mentioned in the above, an abortion can be dangerous and harmful to the body. so yeah... it's late and i don't really know what point im trying to get at but.. hope it makes sense haha.. gdnites all

[sweet_cocoangel]

I would vote no.

And this is not because I think such information should be kept from parents. Most parents definitely have a staked interest in their children's well being. However, I don't believe that this translates into a right, especially given the inherently private nature of this issue. If parents wish to be informed of these situations, I think they should foster relations that encourage such disclosure. Using legal means to enforce effective communications between parent and child is the not the way to go.

Further, whose best interests are we really concerned about here? I'm assuming that the intent behind this proposed legislation is to protect young pregnant mothers. But if, as mentioned by many here, the enactment would trigger dangerous abortion activity, is the well-being of these individuals really being looked after? Should this not at least warrant consideration of more viable alternatives?

[narniapooh]

Definitely NO. Abortions are private processes and people, even parents, shouldn't have to know about them if the person going through it doesn't want them to. The legisaltion was also quite sneaky and tried to slip in what defined a baby in the bill itself. Plus some people just can't talk to their parents..and you can't force them to. It's a person's personal decision...let her regret over it if she goes through with it/doesn't go through with it. Then she'll learn a lesson herself...and people learn better when they make the mistakes themselves...

If I had one I personally wouldn't, primarily because I don't think I'd be able to deal with the shame. Plus it might get out to other people...and everyone is so judgemental these days..

Anyway I'm glad this thing didn't pass!

[josh_yth]

no no no!!! even though that they're underage, it's their own privacy to do anything as they wish, since the baby isn't going to be your parent child but your own CHILD, so they don't really need to know anything about it. also, like many other mentioned above, these girl would be going to underground doctor office if this law get passed, and that's really dangerous for them since there's many disease and possible infection.

[POTO]

I think that our parents do have the right to be informed abt our well-being no matter whether it concerns abortion or not.

However, having an abortion is not a small matter, it involves killing a life that has not even be brought to earth. I think that our parents would definitely be able to give better options than having an abortion just because it is an unwanted baby.

[KendoTiger]

Aiks, could we avoid the whole abortion/pro-life debate?

No, it isn't their right to know - it's the couple's decision whether or not they should tell their parents. If the parent's knew, they would undoubtably pressure the couple into doing their will (parent's will). Also, the girls would probably just find a more dangerous way of having an abortion (which I believe was stated earlier).

[skyline]

Parents shouldn't have the right. Some parents threaten their children, such as "I'll disown you" or "I'll kill you" (they'd probably mean it too). Other parents force their teens to have the baby and keep it, which isn't the best thing to do because basically the teen's life is done for... A teen has the right to choose their path of life, and by having the baby against their will is something that would shift one's life into the downfall.

[xiaoli]

If a 14 year old girl falls pregnant to a x year old boy, aren't they going to get into trouble for having illegal, underage sex? If he's 18+ it's even worse. So in that light, since it's illegal, would a doctor be obliged by law to report it to the authorities?

[Melvin]

no, i do not support abortion, and the parents have the right to know about their child's abortion

abortion should only be allowed to be carried out if the unborn child is terminally ill with a disease or has serious birth defects, as decided by a doctor.

[dude000]

well yes indeed, i believe your parents have the rights to know if you having an abortion but its up ot you i guess. i dont bellieve in abortions, its like a killing of someone,, i woudlnt be able to live with that.

[Dita511]

This is definitely a difficult topic to discuss. I personally would have to vote 'no' to that proposition, because I believe that underage or not, a daughter has the right to decide whether or not to have an abortion. I think most people would want to tell their parents anyway, to get their advice or support, but some people just don't have the kind of parents that would give such support, or may not be able to accept the fact their child is pregnant. This means that there definitely needs to be the option of anonymity, and again it should be the right of the child to decide whether or not to inform their parents. As others in this post have said, illegal abortions done in desperation are highly dangerous.

[midori]

From a legal standpoint, the parents should be notified if their child had or is considering an abortion. The reason is because as long as the child is listed as a dependent under their parent's names, they are the ones that is legally responsible. Privacy of the children only go so far, considering that the age consent for sex is 16. It is ridiculous that in some states, the consent age is 16 and the abortion without parents notification is 14. I think since most of us are under 18 and we think in terms of our parents finding out and punishment, we don't look at the whole issue. ALSO, this is not a question of the child telling their parents about the abortion, it is whether the physician or abortionist should be notifying the parents if their patients are underage.

[lilhkmui]

I think it's necessary if the mother with the abortion is underage. If they're over 18, I think they have their privacy. Otherwise, the parents of their pregnant kids need to teach them some lessons! (No offense to premature mothers out there...)

[petricia]

If I were to vote, I would choose 'NO'.

Firstly, I may be pessimistic here but I think the possibility of girl seeking an illegal abortion will probably be much higher with the law. Being young, they may be confused and scared. I doubt they would think about their health and anything else except that they have to get rid of the baby.

Secondly, I agree on the possibility of parents' imposing their will on their children. It is their children's lives and though they are minor, they are still an individual who will face with their own life since the probability of them out-living their parents are high too. So are they going to stick with a decision that was made by their parents? or are the kids going to suffer?

Thirdly, I may some terribly bad here but i really think that one should be responsible for their own actions. If you have premarital sex, then face up to the fact that you get pregnant. If you aborted the child, face up to the conquences, be it spiritual or what. One should be responsible for their actions.

just my 2 cents worth of thoughts.

[Zhaohe]

I'd vote no, as some parents would actually disown their child for things such as this. Yes it's an important matter, but it truly is the female's decision as a human being, an individual to choose what she would like to do about her body and what is being created. Knowing parents, they'd cause as much of a scene as they could to have their way, and most likely to get the daughter to keep the child.

As a male, I feel that the father should at least be notified.. but then, I know that many guys would not care. I really dislike those kind of 'men' but then, what could you do?

Really, I think the girls should stay out of these situations in the first place, but things happen.

[shiroyume]

to a certain extent a parent should always be aware of theirr child's where abouts.. and actions, that just basiucally due to the fact that it is somewhat their obligations as parents..
but then again i suppose thats probably valid until the child is no longer a child and is able to make their own decisions rationally..?
so maybe if its a child getting an aortion below the age of 16..?

[KendoTiger]

The problem is that children will still fear their parents finding out (if they would not tell their parents in the first place - and instead wish to get an abortion), but they will not have access to a safe place to settle their problems.

Instead, things will revert back to the earlier parts of the century ~ in which single pregnant women (or other circumstances) sought "back alley abortionists", who would even resort to red-hot coat irons to destroy the fetus. This presented not only a high risk to the mother (1/3 mortality rate from bleeding and shock), but also scarred the uterus, prevent most of the women from ever conceiving again.

Besides, wouldn't it violate patient - doctor confidentiality? At least in the US, what is said between doctor and patient are completely confidential (as long as it is regarding a medical situation); this holds true even for young children describing things to their doctor, in which the parent is not aware - rarely happens, primarily in cases of abuse. Still, I fail to see why it be discarded simply for abortion.

Anyways, if the girl can give the child up for adoption without her parents' consent, why should she not be able to look to abortion as well?

Sigh ~ this new Justice? He might even revisit Roe V. Wade , and push for a conservative stance on eliminating legal abortion! That's just scary o_O

[wanie_jay]

I definitely will voted yes. mainly because, the parents had the right to know what is going on with their daughter. i'm against sex at young age, ur just not mature enuf to handle huge matter like this. yeah, u made a mistake, but, there's always room for a change.

but, it all depands on what type of parents u have. if urs were like not so supportive and if they found out bout this, they technically would throw u out of the house, then, i guess, it's ok for not telling them..some parents are just complicated.

thank god my parent were amazing. the best!

[darkangeldori00]

i would vote yes because even though it would be embarassing for a daughter to tell her parents she had sex and was going to get an abortion it's their fault. i am a christian and it is said in the bible to not have sex before your marriage. and you really shouldn't. I wouldn't and therefor i wouldn't need an abortion

[KendoTiger]

but, it all depands on what type of parents u have.

But if you vote yes, then it won't matter if their parents are abusive, violent, or amazing ~ they'll find out. How can you support it if you claim, at the same time, that there are situations where it's best to support the girl? That violates the basic idea of a law ~ it applies to everything: there aren't people who run around deciding whether or not it's okay to tell the parents.

I'm wondering if this law would apply to things such as the "day after" pill.


Honestly ~ sex at young ages will occur no matter what. You have to remember that people were and are getting married in their early teens (especially in the middle east), so sex at a young age is fairly a given. If you want to talk about maturity ~ realize that it's mature to help someone who has made a mistake take care of herself, punishing her or forcing her into unsafe situations because of a mistake she has made doesn't help. It's essentially the difference between saying "you shot someone, let me walk you to the police station and get them to a hospital" and "you shot someone, I'll go tell the police while you make a run for it".

[scarletwillow]

Kendo, does the "day after"/plan B pill count as abortion? I think (not sure on this) it's still considered contraception.

But anyways, the problem with putting restraints on abortion is that all you're doing is you're restraining it by legal means. No matter what, abortions will still be done, and if you cut off the ability to perform a legal abortion (in this case, an abortion with parental consent), the subject will still get an abortion anyways, likely by contraband ways, which are infinitely more risky and dangerous.

So no.

[lil~jo]

I think parents have every right to know what ever the child is doing.

They play an important role in their childs life on important decisions like this to be made. Without parents, there could be serious mistakes made, and regrets for a lifetime.

I'm totally against abortion...but if it has to happen atleast seek good advice without carrying out with proceedures such as this.