Examining the Impact of Abortion Parental Notification Laws on Minors

In a report released yesterday, Human Rights Watch claimed that parental notification laws for minors seeking abortions “threaten young people’s health and safety and undermine their human rights.” However, analysis by medical experts and ethics scholars reveals significant concerns about this assessment, pointing instead to the protective benefits such laws provide.

Parental notification laws, which exist in states including Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Montana, and New Hampshire, typically require abortion providers to notify a parent before performing the procedure on a minor. These laws generally include exemptions for medical emergencies and judicial bypass options for special circumstances. States like Florida, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota have stricter parental consent requirements, mandating parental approval before the abortion can proceed.

Dr. Ingrid Skop, an OB-GYN and spokesperson for the Charlotte Lozier Institute, emphasized that notification laws serve as crucial safeguards. “Parents must be aware if their daughters are in abusive relationships or engaged in risky sexual behavior so they can intervene to prevent negative, long-term consequences on their health and well-being,” she told CNA.

Skop highlighted that these laws can protect vulnerable minors from “abortion coercion or pressure from an abuser,” noting that research has documented significant mental health impacts on women who are pressured into having abortions.

Similar concerns were raised by Dr. Christina Francis, who heads the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “Removing regulations on chemical abortion pills” makes them more “easily accessible to abusers,” she said, adding that “eliminating parental involvement only deepens that risk.”

Michael New, senior associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute and assistant professor at The Catholic University of America, pointed to research supporting the health benefits of parental involvement laws. He criticized the Human Rights Watch report for having “a strong pro-abortion bias” and for relying primarily on “anecdotal evidence from health care providers, attorneys, people working for abortion funds, and public health researchers,” rather than comprehensive data.

Mental health professionals who work with post-abortive women also voiced concerns about removing parental notification requirements. Lori Frank, executive director of Rachel’s Vineyard Colorado, which provides healing programs for women who have had abortions, described abortion as “an emotional, moral, and spiritual trauma.”

“Many women feel shame, guilt, and regret after experiencing abortion, and they often do not have mental health support,” Frank explained, noting that the organization regularly encounters women struggling with depression, grief, emotional numbness, anxiety, panic attacks, and substance abuse issues following abortion procedures.

Frank emphasized that abortion can be “especially harmful to minors” who generally have fewer resources to manage unexpected pregnancies. “As a society, we need to provide real loving support to women of all ages when they are pregnant and help them understand the real risks of abortion,” she said.

Advocates of parental notification laws acknowledge that some minors live in dysfunctional or abusive homes. However, they point out that these laws typically include judicial bypass provisions that allow minors to seek exemptions in such situations.

Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, neuroscientist and senior ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, suggested that eliminating notification requirements “only increases dysfunctionality in a home and distances underage girls from their much-needed support systems.”

“In many instances, the fears of the young girl may not be rooted in reality, and she may be surprised to learn how her parents are actually more open than she imagines to her new situation,” he noted.

Pacholczyk recommended involving trained counselors or pregnancy resource centers to facilitate communication between minors and their families, connecting them with resources such as adoption services and temporary housing if needed.

The U.S. Catholic bishops require every diocese to provide mental health and counseling resources for women who have had abortions through Project Rachel, reflecting ongoing concerns about the psychological impact of abortion decisions.

Medical and ethics experts maintain that parental notification laws serve a protective function, helping to shield minors from potential abuse while ensuring they have access to vital family support during a life-altering decision process.