Access to abortion care has been eroding continuously for decades.But there’s one tack that even very politically savvy abortion rights supporters may be unfamiliar with: Forced parental involvement laws. These regulations force young people under the age of 18 years old to either obtain parental consent, parental notification, or both to seek the abortion care they need.
Blog Post
Overview: Young People's Access to Abortion Care
Related Resources
Jessica Goldberg, J.D., unpacks how forced parental involvement laws disregard young people’s moral agency and decision-making abilities while placing enormous burdens — undue burdens! — on those who do not want to or cannot involve their parents in their abortion care decisions... Read more
DownloadBlake Rocap works as legislative counsel for NARAL Pro-Choice Texas and is a longtime board member at Jane’s Due Process, the Texas legal nonprofit that supports young people who need abortion care in the Lone Star state. We asked Blake to tell us how he got into the work, and how he approaches some of the biggest challenges in the fight to make sure young folks have access to a full spectrum of reproductive health care decisions... Read more
DownloadErin Quick, a law student at the University of Pennsylvania and member of her school’s If/When/How chapter, where students work on a pro bono project helping young people navigate the judicial bypass process, talks about how law students can get involved helping people who need abortion care, and what keeps her motivated to do the work in a political climate that’s deeply hostile to abortion access... Read more
DownloadStephanie Loraine, a social worker, We Testify abortion storyteller and Board Vice President of the Central Florida Women’s Emergency Fund, offers lessons from her own experience seeking a judicial bypass in Florida for attorneys and advocates who want to assist young people accessing abortion care... Read more
Download