The flip side of abortion parental notification

[Rosemary2205]

During my own medical crisis this morning an ER nurse going off duty stayed with me for about an hour until my husband could arrive. I was at the biggest hospital in Georgia. The subject somehow got to abortion. She told me at least a dozen times a week parents will drag a pregnant teen into the ER demanding they give her an abortion against her will. Parents think they have a legal right to do this because in their thinking if they can legally force her to give birth then they can also force her to have an abortion.

[Caoimhe]

1. WRONG

The pregnant girl must sign a consent. They can coerce her, but they can't sign the consent for her.

Yes there are control freaks on all sides of this issue. I think if a child is too afraid to tell her folks, then they are sucky parents.

[Withywindle]

2. I'm reminded of that horrible case a month or two ago

where the parents kidnapped their 19-year-old (legal adult) daughter and tried to force her to have an abortion she didn't want because the baby's father was black.

The arguments I've seen in favor of parental notification laws all seem to presume that parents always are loving and wise and have the daughter's best interests at heart. Boy, is that so often not true! And girls often pay with their lives for it.

If we weren't, as a society, so ridiculously fucked-up in the head about sex, abortion and other reproductive/sexual health treatments could be treated as any other medical procedure. But we are, so it can't.

[Rosemary2205]

4. I agree

Not a single pro choice person I know thinks parents have no rights to know when a child is getting medical treatment. The problem is when parents do not have the best interest of the child at heart. -- and this happens way too often precisely because of the collective mental illness we have over reproduction.

Thanks for the reminder of why women (and girls) need choice laws that protect them from ALL who would victimize them - unfortunately sometimes including their own loved ones.

[cally]

3. i think I missed some posts...I hope you are OK

I agree that our hopes and control over our daughters is insane. I'm confused. I hope for some sanity in all of this.

[Rosemary2205]

5. I'm fine.

Could have been a big something but turned out to be a big nothing. A little medical treatment and I'm back in the pink. Thank goodness.

Thanks for asking.