The Adolescent’s Right to Confidential Care When Considering Abortion
Journal Article
The American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirms its position that the rights of adolescents under 18 years of age to confidential care when considering legal medical and surgical abortion therapies should be protected. Most adolescents voluntarily involve parents and other trusted adults in decisions regarding pregnancy termination and should be encouraged to do so when safe and appropriate. The legal climate surrounding abortion law is rapidly becoming more restrictive and threatens to adversely impact adolescents. Mandatory parental involvement, the judicial bypass procedure, and general restrictive abortion policies pose risks to adolescents’ health by causing delays in accessing medical care, increasing volatility within a family, and limiting their pregnancy options. These harms underscore the importance of adolescents’ access to confidential abortion care. This statement presents a summary of pertinent current information related to the impact of legislation requiring mandatory parental involvement in an adolescent’s decision to obtain abortion services.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Published Date
- September 1, 2022
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 150 / 3
Published By
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1098-4275
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 0031-4005
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1542/peds.2022-058780
Language
- en