New Hampshire to Repeal Parental Notification Law

[Demeter]

Source: NYTimes

June 8, 2007
New Hampshire to Repeal Parental Notification Law

By PAM BELLUCK

BOSTON, June 7 — New Hampshire will become the first state to repeal a law requiring teenage girls to notify their parents before having an abortion, under a bill that won final passage in the State Senate on Thursday.

Gov. John Lynch has said he would sign the measure. The vote in the Senate was 15 to 9. The House vote, in March, was 217 to 141.

The parental notification law was the strictest in the nation when it was passed in 2003. The vote to repeal it reflects, in part, a sea change in New Hampshire politics since the 2006 elections, which swept a Democratic majority into the legislature for the first time in over a century...

Soon after the law passed, it was challenged by Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and other groups, which argued that it was unconstitutional because it did not allow an exemption from parental notification if the girl’s health was in danger. The law’s supporters had intentionally omitted such a medical exception, saying that it could be used as a loophole to allow many girls to skip telling their parents.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/08/us/08parental.html

---

GO NEW HAMPSHIRE! NEVER AGAIN THE BIRCHER'S REFUGE!!

[mainegreen]

1. New Hampshire has really gone blue.

:applause:

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

3. I'm trying to understand how this is a blue issue

Isn't it the parent's right and responsibility to look out for their child. If these children need parents to sign consent forms for other tonsil removal, why not for an abortion? An abortion is still a traumatic medical procedure, despite the social and political implications.

[Demeter]

5. There Comes A Point At Which The Umbilical Cord Is Severed

anything else is just warmed over patriarchy. That's the difference between Red and Blue.

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

10. So a 10 yr old can make their own medical decisions?

When does it become patriarchy?

[Samurai_Writer]

17. Some facts about pregnant minors

Pregnant minors are considered temporarily emancipated, legally, in all other situations EXCEPT abortion. Why? They can make ANY OTHER medical or legal decision for themselves while pregnant without their parents' consent. They can place a child for adoption without their parents' consent.

It is much less risky for a minor to have a first term abortion (95% of all abortions) than to go through pregnancy and childbirth. Should they get their parent's consent for a C-section as well? An epidural? An episiotomy? All are medical procedures associated with childbirth.

I gave birth to my son when I was 17. My parents DID NOT have to sign ANY hospital forms, medical forms OR surrender forms relinquishing my parental rights when my son was surrendered for adoption. At the time, I was able to get an abortion without parental consent as well (1977). I CHOSE not to have an abortion. All pregnant girls and women should have the same CHOICE without parental interference or any other interference.

[DirtyJersey]

24. Let's not confuse the issue.

This is parental notification, not parental consent. I think you make a valid point that the laws should be consistent, but I think it's the other laws that need to be corrected.

[Samurai_Writer]

31. Fine, let's not confuse the issue

A pregnant minor doesn't need to notify her parents, either, in any of those situations.

And you really think the other laws need to be corrected? So basically, a pregnant girl is just chattel of her parents, is that? They get to decide what she does with her pregnancy? Because let's face it, 'notification' in 99% of the cases equals 'consent'. Once the parents are aware of the situation, it's THEIR wishes regarding the pregnancy that will most likely be the outcome, no matter how the girl feels about it, or what it might do to her life. Most minors are financially dependent on their parents, after all.

For example, once my parents found out I was pregnant, I was shipped to an unwed mother's home and specifically told 'Don't come home with a baby'. Another example, was a friend of mine who told her parents, and they forced her to have an abortion she didn't want to have. My son's friend had a girlfriend, and when she got pregnant and wanted an abortion (she was only 15 at the time and not ready to be a parent), her parents basically kept her prisoner in her own home until she gave birth. She's now a single mom without a high school education. A friend of mine was engaged to a girl, and once her parents found out she was pregnant, he was kept away from her, and she was hidden at an unwed mother's home out of state (back in 1970). She was forced to surrender her child for adoption by her parents, even though her boyfriend wanted to marry her. She COMMITTED SUICIDE in the hospital after giving birth and being forced to sign relinquishment papers. The baby was placed for adoption as planned, and my friend never got over losing both his love and his daughter at the same time.

So in all these cases, you would like the laws rewritten so the parents can be notified, and in the majority of the cases, coerce or force the pregnant girl to do what they want. Nice.

[Marrah_G]

54. Same thing happened to my birth mom

In 1970 she was shipped off to a home for unwed mothers and everyone was told she was at boarding school. It was 30 years later when she finally told her father and sibling about me. I found her a couple years after that. Her mother didn't give her a choice either.

Adoption is great but not when a girl is forced into it. I am not a big fan of mandatory parental notification and I am the mother of a teenage girl. I am confident she would come to me, but I know she has friends who could never go to their parents. Not all families are supportive and non-violent.

[rocktivity]

58. Notification IS consent--they RELY on you being "confused" about the issue

Are parents who are notified that their daughter wants an abortion and prevent her from doing so doing the right thing? Are parents who force their daughter to have an abortion when she doesn't want one doing the right thing?

:crazy:
rocknation

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

34. Is 17 the age of consent where you live?

Again, what happens when a mnor goes into either a hospital to give birth or an abortion clinic wihtout a parent?

I would like to know as I really do not know.

[Samurai_Writer]

38. No 17 was not the 'age of consent'

And age of consent only applies to sex, not to legally being able to vote, enter a contract, seek medical treatment, etc.

When a minor goes into the hospital to give birth, they are admitted and treated like any other patient. No parental consent or notification is required.

When a minor goes into an abortion clinic, if the state has 'parental notification' laws, the clinic notifies the parents before any procedure can be done. If there are no 'parental notification' laws, the minor is treated like any other patient at the clinic.

[Demeter]

18. When a young woman can decide for herself, but isn't allowed to.

and as for your 10 year old, grow up!

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

30. When is that?

YOu need some legal definition.

[ehrnst]

47. Medical professionals are trained to make that call, NOT politicians.

[ehrnst]

46. If a 10 year old is pregnant....and seeking medical attention

You don't turn them away, because they aren't with their parents at the time.

Medical professionals are trained to deal with kids and can make the distinction between who is and is not capable of making medical decisions.

Parental notification laws bypass medical judgment in any situation involving abortion.

There are NO parental notification laws concerning live birth, which is far more dangerous than early abortion.

[DirtyJersey]

6. I tend to agree.

I think there should clearly be an exception in cases of incest, but other than that, children shouldn't be making medical decisions on their own.

[mainegreen]

7. You aren't honestly comparing tonsil removal to unwanted pregnancy?

And even if you are, you do realize that a parent medical rights over there children can be stripped from them if they make medically dangerous decisions for their children?

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

11. No I'm not comparing the two.

The point I am trying to rationalize is that an abortion is a medically traumatic procedure, it is often an invasive procedure. How can parents, let's be clear that I am talking about rational parents, be cut out of that loop?

Why is that a victory for the blue side?

[mainegreen]

14. Well, I can't speak for other but this is why I feel it's the child's decision alone:

Unlike almost all other medical procedures, the choice about whether or not to carry out a pregnancy will dramatically and profoundly affect that child's life, socially, emotionally and economically until the day they die, well beyond the 18 years of age a parent has 'executive control' over their children's life. In the end this is about people having the freedom to choose their own destiny, which IMHO is a liberal issue.

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

16. So then statutory rape laws should be stricken?

These can lead to these life altering circumstances and if a 13yr old wants a baby, then who are her parents to say she shouldn't have it?

Okay maybe I am getting off track here, can you tell me what the law says about a 12 or 13 yr old walking into an abortion clinic? I honestly don't know what happens.

[mainegreen]

20. Not sure what you mean about statutory rape laws, but..

there is no way any clinic is going to tell a 12 or 13 year old child 'sure hop on up in this chair and strap yourself in'. This is the real world and they will talk to the child, find out why her parents aren't there and decide what to do from there. Most clinics (that I know of) have someone with social work skills on hand who will be able to deal with that situation on a case by case basis.
:shrug:

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Samurai_Writer]

40. OMG -- you did not just go there!

So if a 10 year old girl 'wanted' to have sex with a 30 year old, that would be 'her decision' and 'her risk' of having a baby? If that's the case, then why isn't it 'her decision' and 'her risk' to get an abortion? Why does she need to notify her parents? Or do they know she's having sex with a 30 year old?

And as for 'why should the 30 year old 'be punished'' (whatever that means). It was 'his decision' and 'his risk' of impregnating someone.

I'm so done with this subject and the trolls that are feeding it.

[Demeter]

19. The "Trauma" You Allude To Has Been Repeatedly Debunked

as anyone who follows this issue would know.

[DirtyJersey]

26. Depends on the person.

I think it's pretty astounding that you could make a blanket statement like that. I know I personally could never have an abortion, because I wouldn't be able to live with myself. It would haunt me forever. A lot of people feel that way.

I'm pro-choice, because I don't believe in making other people's decisions. I think abortion is a great tragedy, but so are rape, abusive relationships, deadbeat fathers, etc. and I recognize that sometimes it really is the better option. But I get sick and tired of fellow progressives who devalue human life by acting like abortion is no big deal, that it's "just a fetus". It's the taking of a human life. I don't think it's unforgivable, and I do think it can be the lesser of evils compared to bringing up a child in a world of suffering, but let's not pretend it's something that it's not.

[susanna]

61. I haven't heard anyone but you on this thread

state "it's just a fetus."

You might want to think about that.

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

33. So a physically traumatic experience does not exist?

Others can also say that the incet cases you speak of have been debunked and are not the norm.

[petersjo02]

48. The kid didn't have to ask the parent for permission to have sex

I see that as parallel to then allowing the kid to decide what to do with her own an unintended pregnancy.

[Warren Stupidity]

52. Actually you did compare the two.

"If these children need parents to sign consent forms for other tonsil removal, why not for an abortion?"

Because pregnancy and tonsilitis are not equivalent. You simply cannot compare the two.

[Mend]

8. if you have a good relationship with your daughter, she would be comfortable

to come to you if she was pregnant. If you don't, we need a law to protect the children from you.

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

12. Agreed, but that is not what this law is saying.

Those laws exist though, this law has nothin to do with that. The only thing I can see is that this cuts out the cases of incest, but wouldn't that have to be proven before it can be declared true?

[zanne]

29. "Now All Stand For"....

"Judge Mental"!

[Warren Stupidity]

63. Uh no - it cuts out cases where, for example,

the woman would be completely ostracized from her family, subjected to humiliation, beaten, punished, etc. It is not just about incest.

[Tesha]

9. The parents usually do the right thing for an abcess.

> If these children need parents to sign consent forms for
> other tonsil removal, why not for an abortion?

The parents usually do the right thing for an abcess.
They often don't do the right thing for a pregnancy.

Occasionally, one of the parents is the source of the
pregnancy.

Tesha

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tesha]

22. Right. Most teens talk to their parents.

The ones who don't often have cause, whether it's incest
or the beating they'll get for "getting in trouble".

Tesha

[Solon]

49. What about cases where the girl in question would be kicked out of the house?

No abuse, no incest, how would those girls be protected?

[zanne]

28. Because a teen wouldn't be beaten or ostracized....

for having a tonsillectomy. There are still plenty of parents who would beat a pregnant teenager, throw her out of the house or worse. There is a HUGE difference.

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

35. And plenty who would help out.

You are painting all parents with the broad brush.

[Mend]

41. some are very good parents who just happen to believe that abortion is

murder...it is these parents who will try anything, including trying to put a teenager in a psych unit until it is too late for an abortion. These are parents whose belief systems don't include choice and I don't think they should be notified, along with the incestuous ones, the ones that throw the kid out. Since we can't tell before hand who is who, just leave the notification to the kid..she knows her family the best.

[zanne]

42. I didn't say ALL parents...

Who's broad-brushing now? I have known girls who have been told to leave and never return. You would have girls like that in danger, placing the life of the fetus over their well-being.

[ehrnst]

44. Because kids won't die trying to remove their own tonsils

Medical professionals say that medical confidentiality is VITAL to treating adolescents, especially in the areas of STDs, mental health, substance abuse and pregnancy.

A kid can go through the much, much more dangerous medical procedure that is live birth without their parents knowledge or consent.

The real question is: Do you want kids who have the common sense to go to a medical professional turned away?

Or do you want them to feel that they can go to that professional, who is trained to screen for sexual abuse, and who can counsel them to tell their parents?

[Warren Stupidity]

51. Because it is the pregnant person's right to terminate the pregnancy.

Parental consent rules are designed to set up obstacles to that decision, taking control away from the person who is actually pregnant and putting control in the hands of other people who are not pregnant. A tonsilectomy is not at all equivalent.

[rocktivity]

57. DING DING DING! Warren Stupidity, you're our grand prize winner!

Parental consent rules are designed to set up obstacles to that decision...

That's what I mean when I say that parental notification is parental consent in disguise. It wasn't created in hopes that parents would feel obligated to force their daughters to have abortions, but force them to give birth. If the parents want the daughter to give birth when she doesn't want to, or if they DON'T want the daughter to give birth when she DOES want to--well, which of those is the BETTER example of good parenting?

:shrug:
rocknation

[burrowowl]

55. And if the child's father is the

father of her child?
Happens more frequently than you think.
Of course, they could also test the embryo for its DNA before telling the parents.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

59. Even if it didn't happen more frequently...

No kid should have to give birth to a baby they don't want. And no kid should feel the need to seek an illegal abortion because the law says their parents must be notified.

[zanne]

2. It's almost hard to get used to.

All my life, I lived in a state that lived by the editorials of The Union Leader; a state that was the very last to honor MLK with a holiday; a state that can't properly fund its' schools because nobody wants to be taxed. Suddenly, my state legislature passed a bill allowing civil unions and now they're repealing the Parental Notification Law. I'm afraid I'm going to wake up and it will all suddenly be gone. Our legislature (and governor) haven't been Democratic since the Civil War. dI'm actually reading LTTEs from conservatives who are so disgusted they want to move out of state. YAY! Let's try to get them ALL out! This is a dream come true for me. There IS a God!

[Herman74]

4. Astonishingly Sharp Turnaround

People in New Hampshire valuing the need to keep teenagers safe over the less important right of parents to know. The measure passed so easily too!

[rodeodance]

15. now to find a clinic.

[Tesha]

21. Portsmouth, Concord, more than a few OB/Gyns in private practice.

Access in NH isn't too bad.

Tesha

[intheflow]

23. As a former pregnant teen

who chose to have an keep her child, I say... GO NEW HAMPSHIRE!

I was so lucky to have a loving family that would support whatever decision I made. I know a few other girls in my high school who were not so lucky. My three friends who had abortions do sometimes wonder about "what if," but they are all still fiercely pro-life (that is liberally pro-life--they support the woman's right to have control over her own life, which may include having an abortion) and none of them regret their decisions. That was in a state that at the time had no parental notification laws, and my friends who had the procedure never told their parents about it while it was happening. At least one girl's parent would have made her have the child, and her life would have been very different.

[Herman74]

25. The law did not allow...

"...an exemption from parental notification if the girl's health was in danger" -- Original post. This alone makes it a blue issue.

In addition, the law may have been unconstitutional. Most importantly, it may have acted to encourage teenagers to seek back-alley, very dangerous abortions performed by nonprofessionals, rather than tell their parents.

Whereas Republicans value tradition, Democrats value life.

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

36. That I understand.

The tradition of good parent hood is usually a good one that we ALL should honor. (When we choose it)

If the parental notification in case of health dangers or incest is added, does this still stay a blue issue?

[zanne]

45. DU has become more conservative over the years...

But...come on! Don't try to color this "middle-of-the-road" because it isn't. Of course it's a "blue" issue; unless "blue" now means "Republican".

[Solon]

50. Hell yes its a blue issue, a parent's rights do NOT trump the health of an underage child!

Period!

[Stargleamer]

27. All I can say is Yipeee!!!!!

Way to go New Hampshire!!!

[BlueIris]

37. Suck it, Misogynists of the Granite State. A little bit of sanity returns to your dark domain.

[Forkboy]

39. LOL....excellent for NH.

:thumbsup:

[JerseygirlCT]

43. Good news. nt

[Warren Stupidity]

53. And we established a rail transit authority too!

Which might even get commuter rail service into Nashua and Manchester before we all have to sell and move back to Boston. Too bad about the school funding crisis, which remains unresolved again. Overall this Lynch administration, with its new legislative support, has done an A+ job.

[rocktivity]

56. CUE THE VONAGE THEME!

Parental notification is anti-abortion legislation in disguise. And even if it wasn't, NO ONE has the right to make reproductive decisions for someone else--not even their own offspring.

:woohoo:
rocknation

[David__77]

60. The GOP will never control both houses and governorship again.

Now's the time to make it a permanently progressive state.

[fujiyama]

62. Good news

This will protect the well being of a child. If a child is so afraid to reveal to their parents that they are pregnant, they likely have a reason. Abuse, abandonment, ostracizing, etc. are all potential fears a child may face. Also, as has been stated, incest and rape (and in these cases, molestation), are two other reasons to repeal parental notification laws.

My hope is that along with this, adolescent mental health counseling and education about contraceptives (rather than "abstinence only education") will be expanded as well.