Later this month, the “Unplanned” movie will open in theatres in the U.S. This film tells the story of Abby Johnson, former Planned Parenthood director, now vocal pro-life advocate. The film, based on a book of the same name, tells how Abby’s first involvement in an actual abortion procedure caused her to quit her job and become an advocate for life.
Before reaching theaters, the film needed a rating, and the Motion Picture Association of America gave the film an “R” rating, meaning minors cannot go to the movie without parental consent.
Seem strange? An R-rating makes sense – abortion is deliberate, calculated violence, and surgical abortions are horrific to witness. We don’t want our young people exposed to the dismemberment of born children, so we shouldn’t want them exposed to the graphic dismemberment of pre-born children either.
But this rating reveals a double standard. This means that a 15-year-old girl can, without her parents’ consent, choose to have an abortion – but that same girl cannot see this film about abortion. On the one hand, we allow minors to have an abortion without parental consent, or even notification. On the other hand, we tell them they are too young to handle the reality of abortion. And then we add society telling them abortion is the answer because they are too young to be a mother. It’s no wonder they’re confused and overwhelmed when facing an unplanned pregnancy.
This should cause us to seriously question what kind of consent these young people are giving when they consent to abortion. Consent should be informed, but if young people are unready to see the reality of abortion, how are doctors ensuring they recognize what they are agreeing to? We continue to work on the idea of parental involvement laws because young people should not be left to make this choice uninformed and alone.
This film has the potential to open eyes to the reality of life in the womb, life that deserves protection regardless of outside circumstances. But many will not see it because abortion is horrific and graphic and ends a life – the very reason this story needs to be told.
]]>A story out of New Zealand tells of a school nurse booking a student for an abortion, driving her there during school hours, bringing her home late, and lying about why they were late. A year later, as the girl deteriorated emotionally and physically, it came out to her parents that she had received an abortion. The surgery damaged her uterus and she will now never be able to have a baby.
Any parent reading this story will feel outrage at having a school employee go behind your back to encourage your 15-year-old daughter to get life-changing surgery in secret. But legally, just as in Canada, the school did not have to notify the parents. There was no requirement of parental consent for a minor to have an abortion.
The fact that underage girls in Canada can get an abortion without parental consent or notification means stories like this can happen here too. Parents need to stand up for their right to protect and guide their children. No one should encourage your children to make major life decisions in isolation, or counsel them to hide things from you. As this story shows, parents can be left wondering why their child is struggling, and be unable to provide the best care and support.
We believe parental notification should be ensured before performing an abortion for a minor. Parents are involved in virtually all other medical decisions, and may have valuable information about a child’s medical history. Doctors, school nurses, or private abortion clinic employees should not play counselor and parent to teens in crisis.
A legal opinion prepared on the topic on parental consent for abortion stresses that parents are ultimately responsible for the care and guidance of their children. Under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child parents have primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of their children, with the best interests of the child being their primary concern. Article 18 indicates that this “best interests” measure includes taking into account a child’s maturity and capacity for decision-making; it does not, however, preclude parental involvement with mature minors.
The fact that a school needs permission to take your child on a field trip, but not for surgery, is beyond ridiculous. That same teen needs parental consent before getting a tattoo or using a tanning salon, and needs legal consent before being allowed to drink, smoke, or drive a car. Has abortion really become such a taboo subject that we are willing to just ignore legal oversights rather than face the wrath of abortion advocates?
Undermining parental authority undermines the best interests of children. It tells parents they don’t need to be involved in their children’s lives, and tells teens not trust their parents for support. If someone can take my child for surgery and I only find out about it later, they can expect to hear from me. I expect they’d hear from you too.
It’s time for us to bring our laws in line with decades of common law, and common sense. Parental notification and consent should be mandatory for girls under the age of 16 seeking an abortion. Parents need to be informed so they can counsel their daughters, as well as get them the medical care that may be needed during and after the pregnancy. Abortion potentially has both physical and psychological side effects, and parents are best positioned to act in the best interest of their daughters (and potential grandchildren). Keeping parents out of the picture isolates young teens at a particularly vulnerable time, leaving them open to pressure from virtually anyone attempting to influence their decision.
Consent and notification laws are one way to show that families are valuable, protecting both parental rights and the best interests of children.
]]>
Parental consent for abortion is not mandatory for minors in Canada. Teen girls can have an abortion performed without notifying anyone, and they are then left alone to deal with the physical and emotional consequences. Parents need to consent to a teen getting a tattoo, using a tanning salon, or even going on a field trip from school, yet abortion is given the silent treatment because it’s a controversial issue and, after all, it is “her body, her choice.”
We think this needs to change – read more here.
Confidentiality, first of all has proven to be of crucial importance in getting adolescents to use health care, particularly with regards to reproductive issues [1]. This is obviously not, however, a fact unique to adolescents, though it is certainly portrayed that way. Interestingly, the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada references an American privacy law (HIPAA) as an example of why confidentiality is crucial and parents should not be informed if their daughter chooses an abortion. That law, however, specifically mentions abortion in the context that an adolescent minor (under 18) may only maintain confidentiality in cases “when a minor has requested and received court approval to have an abortion without parental consent or notification” (emphasis added) [1]. It is grouped with HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections in that patient confidentiality may be maintained following court consent, but treatment or action cannot occur without adult consent. Further, confidentiality is not broken in that parents are told in secret. Adolescents are made aware of the requirement and informed of the need for parental consent before contact is made, and given the knowledge that they have the opportunity to seek court consent instead if necessary.
Access to health care, then, is the other major consideration. Such access can actually be improved by a parental consent law. It can be very difficult for adolescents to navigate the health care system on their own, from making appointments to transportation to appointments to accessing the follow-up care they may need. Absences from school or home will need to be explained, and the stress of dealing with pregnancy alone is obviously significant for an adolescent. Studies show that adolescents often know later in their pregnancy that they have conceived, or at least do not seek medical attention until they are “beyond facilities’ gestational age limits”. [2] While Canada has no laws restricting abortion, most doctors will only perform abortions before the 20 week mark, as after this point the fetus is considered viable. If the adolescent does present early enough for a drug-induced medical abortion, the complication and failure rates are higher than for surgically-induced abortion, so parental involvement and care can be very valuable [3].
An adolescent who gets an abortion in secret is more likely to hide her pain and complications following the procedure, putting her health at risk, and parents will not know to watch for signs of physical or psychological struggling. Studies have found a significantly higher rate (3-6x) of suicide in 15-24 year olds following induced abortions when compared to those who are not pregnant or who chose childbirth when pregnant, as well as decreased self-esteem and feelings of guilt, fear and confusion over what occurred [4-7]. A review of the literature from 1995-2011 found that pregnancy loss, including through abortion, carries a higher risk of subsequent mental disorder than childbirth. Thirteen studies showed a clearly higher risk for the abortion group versus those who chose childbirth, while only 5 studies found no difference [8].
The Canadian Medical Association, in its official policy on induced abortion, stresses the need for full and immediate counselling services for patients in the case of an unwanted pregnancy. This is much easier to ensure and maintain with parental consent requirements in place [9]. Helping or encouraging adolescents to keep their pregnancies and abortions secret is helping them isolate themselves at a particularly vulnerable time, at an age where their coping mechanisms are not yet well-developed. That doesn’t sound like a consideration of best interests at all.
We must briefly consider the concern that is sure to be raised in dramatic fashion almost immediately. Is there the possibility that parental consent requirements will drive some adolescents to self-harm or illegal means of obtaining abortions in an effort to avoid telling their parents, or the now-infamous “coat hanger argument”? This common rhetoric has always held true for a small, sensationalized minority of cases, and will continue to do so. Desperate young women, like desperate older women, will take desperate measures. This does not, however, negate the need for a parental consent law with all its potential benefits for the majority. Rather than abandon parental consent, we should instead focus on alternate front-line support for these women who feel their situation is so dire they cannot possibly share the news of a pregnancy with a parent or guardian.
In terms of decision-making and consent, the terms mature or immature are not meant as a comment on an adolescents’ character or intellect, but rather as a scientific reality in terms of brain development. Not only are adolescents likely to make their pregnancy-related decisions in a state of stress, emotion, and exhaustion, they are also doing so with a less-developed prefrontal cortex than an adult, one of the “key ways the brain doesn’t look like that of an adult until the early 20s” [10]. Adolescent brains show marked differences not in intellectual ability compared to adults, but in areas of impulse control and planning for the future. Those last-to-develop capacities are critical to making an informed decision on parenthood. These abilities are accessible in their parents, who can assist them in reasoning through a decision beyond the emotional basis, and beyond what peers are capable of.
In addition to the incomplete brain development of adolescents, there are marked hormonal shifts occurring in adolescence. These shifts affect the intensity with which emotion is felt as well as stress levels. Add to that the hormonal shifts that come with pregnancy and you have a dangerous decision-making cocktail which, like many cocktails, will lead to regretted decisions.
The argument put forward regarding adolescents needing consent to continue with a pregnancy should be dismissed without further consideration. Just as parental consent is needed for any surgery, so it should be needed for abortion at any stage of pregnancy – we do not ask for parental consent for an adolescent to get appendicitis or cancer, we simply involve them in helping their child cope with the consequences. As stated in R. v. Morgentaler, abortion is not a right, and should not be treated as such [12].
Parental consent does not equal parental control – it is about responsibility and care. Parents can share their reasoning and attempt to influence the decision, but the main goal is to provide support for pregnant adolescents regardless of the outcome of their pregnancy.
Sources:
1 English, A. & Ford, C. (2004). The HIPAA privacy rule and adolescents: Legal questions and clinical challenges. Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health, 36 (2)
2 Dobkin, L., Perucci A. & Dehlendorf, C. (2013). Pregnancy options counseling for adolescents: Overcoming barriers to care and preserving preference. Adolescent Pregnancy, 43 (4), 96-102.
3 Lanfranch, A., Gentles, I. & Ring-Cassidy, E. (2013). Complications: Abortion’s Impact on Women. The deVeber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research, ON, Canada.
4 Ely, G., Flaherty, C. & Cuddeback, G. (2010). The relationship between depression and other psychosocial problems in a sample of adolescent pregnancy termination patients. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 27 (4) 269-282.
5 Gissler, M., Hemminki, E., Lonnqvist, J. (1996). Suicides after pregnancy in Finland, 1987–94: register linkage study. BMJ 313: 1431.
6 Curley, M. & Johnston, C. (2013). The characteristics and severity of psychological distress after abortion among university students. Journal of Behavioral Services & Research, 40 (3), 279-293.
7 Humphrey, M., Colditz, P., Flenady, V. & Whelan, N. (2013) Maternal and Perinatal Mortality and Morbidity in Queensland Queensland Maternal and Perinatal Quality Council Report 2013. State of Queensland (Department of Health). Retrieved from http://www.health.qld.gov.au/caru/networks/docs/qmoqc-report-2013-full.pdf
8 Bellieni, C. & Buonocore, G. (2013). Abortion and subsequent mental health: Review of the literature. Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, 67 (5), 301-310.
9 CMA Policy: Induced Abortion. http://policybase.cma.ca/dbtw-wpd/PolicyPDF/PD88-06.pdf
10 The teen brain: Still under construction. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-teen-brain-still-under-construction/index.shtml
11 Canadian Medical Association, Code of Ethics, 2004. https://www.cma.ca/Assets/assets-library/document/en/advocacy/policy-research/CMA_Policy_Code_of_ethics_of_the_Canadian_Medical_Association_Update_2004_PD04-06-e.pdf
12 R. v. Morgentaler (1988) 1 SCR 30, 1988 CanLII 90 (SCC). Retrieved from https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/1988/1988canlii90/1988canlii90.html?searchUrlHash=AAAAAQAZcGFyZW50YWwgY29uc2VudCBhYm9ydGlvbgAAAAAB&resultIndex=1
]]>The above statement was said by a father in Winnipeg (read article here). Do you think he was talking about abortion? No, he was talking about a belly button piercing. This Winnipeg couple is angry that their 16 year old daughter was able to obtain a piercing without their consent and, we believe, rightly so.
The teenager’s father goes on to say “We’re not mad at our daughter. We trust and believe this was a 16-year-old who made a decision. We wanted to be there to help make that decision.”
That is what parenting is about, it’s about helping our children make decisions because they have been entrusted to our care and as parents or legal guardians, we have the responsibility to help them make decisions – whether about a body piercing, or a life-altering decision such as an abortion procedure.
We believe that a parent is in the best position to support their child when facing an unplanned pregnancy and if children are having abortions and being counseled on how keep it a secret from their parents, how do we expect parents to carry out their responsibilities to love, nurture and protect their children?
For more information about our Parental Consent campaign, currently running in Saskatchewan, please visit sk.parentalconsent.ca
]]>
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and the NDP Status of Women critic Niki Ashton have, perhaps unintentionally, drawn much needed attention to the plight of unprotected fetuses in Canada in recent weeks. While it is unexpected to have two left-of-centre parties raise the always-sensitive topic of abortion, it is a conversation that needs to be had. And since Canada is only one of three countries in the world with no abortion laws whatsoever, our Parliament is one place in which this conversation really must be taking place.
While the debate continues in Ottawa and as Canadians contemplate federal abortion laws, there is also much needed dialogue at the provincial level. There are many provincial regulations that would address the void surrounding Canadian abortion law. The Constitution Act (1867) lays out the division of powers between federal and provincial governments. Section 92 (16) confers on Provincial Legislatures the power to make laws in relation to “all matters of merely local or private nature in the province.” Similarly, paragraph 7 of that same section authorizes provinces to make laws in relation to “the establishment, maintenance, and management of hospitals, charities, etc.” This specifically authorizes the provinces to establish and regulate hospitals, and to regulate hospital-based health care services.
There is a lot of room for provincial legislatures to step up. For example, there are no laws stipulating that women seeking an abortion need to be properly informed on the physical and psychological risks accompanying abortion. Similarly, no health jurisdiction in our country has parental consent for abortion legislation.
A few weeks ago my sixteen-year-old daughter was asked to come in for a night shift at the retail outlet she works at. In order for her to do that, my wife and I had to give our written consent. We didn’t have a problem with this – it provided a measure of respect for and deference to our parental responsibilities. In contrast, if our daughter found herself in an unplanned pregnancy, she could quite easily be pressured to think abortion was the only solution for her and to abort her pre-born child without our knowledge.
When I mentioned this to a friend in Saskatchewan she told me that her fifteen-year-old daughter, who has Type 1 Diabetes, wanted to get a tattoo. The medic alert bracelet she must wear was aggravating her allergies, and a permanent tattoo would reliably convey the same medical information. My friend explained that nearly every tattoo shop she went to refused to tattoo her daughter, even with parental permission, because in their words, “It’s a permanent decision that we want to make sure your daughter won’t regret.”
Note the stark contrast in how we treat our daughters when it comes to tattooing and employment standards compared to the current legal vacuum regarding abortion – a decision for which there is also permanent ramifications.
Young girls need the protection of caring parents or guardians. Without the involvement of parents it is easier for coercive boyfriends and child predators to use abortion to cover up criminal behaviour. A parental consent for abortion act would enshrine into law the rights and responsibilities of parents and would give much needed protection to vulnerable minors.
]]>
Charlotte Dawson (pictured) was an Australian supermodel whose life spiraled into depression and ended when she committed suicide last week. Ms. Dawson’s testimony as recorded in her 2012 autobiography is that her depression was connected to an abortion procedure which ended the pre-born life of the child she and her husband, Scott Miller had conceived shortly after marriage.
Coercion to abort is common, but rarely receives any level of attention. In compiling research for their new publication, Complications: Abortion’s Impact on Women, deVeber Institute researchers interviewed 101 Canadian women and over two-thirds were pressured or coerced into having an abortion. One woman said,
“He wanted me to get an abortion, and all, when I was pregnant…He was never around. When he was, he was hitting me and being abusive when I was pregnant.”
Another said,
“He threatened to burn my house down and take the baby away after it was born.”
Incredibly heart-wrenching, but also entirely preventable. As Barbara Kay puts it,
Informed consent laws for abortion should be mandatory. We can certainly do better for women who find themselves vulnerable due to an unplanned or unanticipated pregnancy.
]]>
On Tuesday, February 11th we launched a new public awareness campaign in Saskatchewan. This campaign, sk.parentalconsent.ca calls for the Saskatchewan government to pass parental consent for abortion legislation. It is a joint effort between us and Saskatchewan Pro-Life Association and signals a new era in Canada’s pro-life movement.
The willingness of large organizations to partner together in our efforts to embrace opportunities to save some as we continue working to save all is what is so desperately needed in the pro-life movement.
We are very thankful for what Saskatchewan Pro-Life Association has contributed to this campaign, and what they will continue to put into it.
If you are interested in viewing photos of the launch yesterday they can be seen here.
A video of Director Mike Schouten’s remarks can be found here.
Be sure to let all your Saskatchewan contacts know about this campaign by using Facebook and Twitter or simply sending them links to sk.parentalconsent.ca by email.
]]>