Essay on Minor 16years Abortion and Parent Consent

Over the years, abortion has remained one of the most controversial issues among many countries. Different laws and policies involving abortion have been developed depending on the people’s perception of abortion. It is essential to understand that abortion is perceived and interpreted differently in society because of different cultural and religious groups. Like other parts of the world, America has considered abortion in the young generation the most critical issue requiring more attention. In this regard, many American states have legalized abortion among young adults regardless of the external powers such as culture and religious groups criticizing the act. Many states in America have considered legalizing abortion, which was termed a violation of women’s rights and young adolescents. In this effort, American States permitted abortion as a form of respecting the rights of women from healthy issues relating to risky abortion. Since 2019, about thirty-six States have enforced laws requiring young individuals to access parental consent before committing an abortion. In this connection, several young adolescents facing an undesired pregnancy decide to inform their parents. Several adolescent girls do not involve their parents seeking abortion for fear of family disappointment and avoiding home violence. These young individuals need to receive medical assistance from qualified professional health practitioners. The laws and policies enforced to prohibit abortion prevented young girls from accessing their health, thus endangering their life safety.^[1]. The American society has been in the front line in enhancing individuals to self-decision relating to their sexual issues and reproductive health in the absence of parental consent. However, in some incidents, young adolescents involve parents before practicing abortion to seek emotional and logistic support.

Young adults may involve their parents in their act of abortion in a close and strong relationship with their parents. Adolescents who consider their parents as their emotional supporters will comfortably inform them about the incident. Some young adults will be influenced by parents’ love and care to involve their parents in matters. Minor individuals are confident that their parents will stand as their accurate respondents in their difficult moments. A young girl may remember the unconditional support they receive from their mum through talks and get convinced to let the parent know their situation.^[2]. Young adults will feel free to share their conditions with parents to strengthen their good relationship with parents. Although the young adolescent might feel ashamed of their parent due to pregnancy issues, the minor adults will think that parents will understand and consider them. Therefore, the close and strong relationship between the minor and their parent will facilitate parental consent in abortion.

Minor adults will tend to inform their parents before committing abortion when the incidence can no longer remain a secret. Parents have higher experience in life to the extent that minors cannot keep pregnancy and abortion a secret. For example, teenagers who stay in the same house with their mothers will disclose their secrets to their parents.^[3]. In this connection, parents will be more sensitive to any noticeable change of minor behavior and symptoms, thus becoming hard for young girls to hide their pregnancy and abortion decision. The minors who realize that pregnancy and abortion cannot remain as their secret will involve parents in their act of abortion.

Some young girls will consider involving their parents in favor of obtaining financial and other logistic assistance. It is important to note that seeking medical aid for abortion needs money. Besides, the minor adult may experience difficulty raising the required amount to do abortion according to the doctor’s descriptions.^[4]. Young individuals will reveal the secret to their parents, who can afford the required amount for them. Additionally, these young individuals consider some risks associated with abortion and involve their parents, who may help in an emergency. Though telling parents about their pregnancy and abortion decision may disappoint them, minors gain enough confidence to inform their parents because they believe their parents will consider them their daughters. In this case, the lack of financial support forces the minors to involve their parental consent.

In contrast, there are various reasons minors will not tell their parents about their pregnancy and abortion decisions. The first reason is that young individuals will fear that involving their parents in abortion is much disappointing to their parents. Minors who had been sharing their great goals and visions in life with their parents may feel consider it as a disappointment in their parents in telling their parents about abortion.^[5]. Consider a family with successful girls’ siblings, then a last-born girl in the family account as the only girl getting pregnant in her 16 years in the family history. Consequently, parents from this family may consider this girl as a failure and a disappointment to the family. In this fear, minor adolescents will choose not to involve their parents in the abortion decision to avoid family disappointment.

Adolescent girls are afraid of parental consent in abortion decisions because it can ruin their relationship with their parents. Minors aged 16 years consider pregnancy, and abortion decision sounds like a critical aspect that may cause the parent to abandon their children. In this regard, minors may experience great trouble in lacking emotional support from their parents. Parents may condemn and abuse their minors in bringing family disgrace, which may negatively affect the parent-child relationship. Minor adolescents are afraid of letting their parents know about their pregnancy and abortion issues because of their parent’s anger and rebuke.^[6]. Some young girl feels that informing their parents about abortion decision may provoke their parent to react mad and kick them out of the house. Therefore, the young individual will opt to keep the secret rather than facing furious rebuke from their parent. The minor girls will refuse to involve their parents in the abortion act to maintain close and strong relationships with their parents.

Young adults commit abortion without their parent’s consent in preserving their autonomy. Teenagers may feel shy to reveal their pregnancy to parents because it is associated with lying in bed. The adolescent girl will not tell anyone to commit abortion to maintain a good name and character. Minor 16 years would not involve their parent in abortion decision since many parents will not accept them to abort. Young adolescence is convinced that parents will prefer adolescent giving birth to committing abortion. Parents’ denial of achieving abortion may force minor persons to give undesired birth. Many parents will follow their culture and religion in making abortion decisions, thus going against the adolescent’s decision of aborting.^[7]. The other important reason young individuals do not involve parental consent is parents’ negligence in supporting their decisions. For instance, adolescents will not tell their parents about pregnancy and abortion if the parent has not been active in supporting the adolescent. The young individuals will assume that parents need not know because they have nothing or less to contribute as per their experience. In a case where parents do not reside in the same place with their children, an adolescent will not involve parents while deciding on abortion.

In recent years, the western region has implemented several policies to legalize abortion decisions among young individuals. Some guidelines advocate that teenagers aged 16 years old should involve their parents while making an abortion decision. Young individuals will let parents know about abortion decisions in considering parents as loving and caring. The individuals believe that their parents will stand with them despite their mistakes. Other young individuals will inform parents about pregnancy to seek financial and emotional support. Besides, some pregnant teenagers will involve their parent’s consent in abortion decisions in a scenario where pregnancy cannot remain a secret.

In contrast, minor adults will fail to include their parents in committing abortion to keep their autonomy in life. Other young adolescents will not tell parents about pregnancy and abortion in fear of becoming a family disgrace. Others will fail to involve parents because they have minimal contribution to making an abortion decision.

List of bibliography

Coleman-Minahan, Kate, Amanda Jean Stevenson, Emily Obront, and Susan Hays. “Young women’s experiences obtaining judicial bypass for abortion in Texas.” Journal of Adolescent Health 64, no. 1 (2019): 20-25.

Coleman‐Minahan, Kate, Amanda Jean Stevenson, Emily Obront, and Susan Hays. “Adolescents are obtaining an abortion without parental consent: their reasons and experiences of social support.” Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health 52, no. 1 (2020): 15-22.

Frederico, Mónica, Kristien Michielsen, Carlos Arnaldo, and Peter Decat. “Factors influencing abortion decision-making processes among young women.” International journal of environmental research and public health 15, no. 2 (2018): 329.

Frederico, Mónica, Kristien Michielsen, Carlos Arnaldo, and Peter Decat. “Factors influencing abortion decision-making processes among young women.” International journal of environmental research and public health 15, no. 2 (2018): 329.

Munro, Sarah, Savvy Benipal, Aleyah Williams, Kate Wahl, Logan Trenaman, and Stephanie Begun. “Access experiences and attitudes toward abortion among youth experiencing homelessness in the United States: A systematic review.” PloS one 16, no. 7 (2021): e0252434.

Strode, Ann, Catherine M. Slack, Zaynab Essack, Jacintha D. Toohey, and Linda-Gail Bekker. “Be legally wise: When is parental consent required for adolescents’ access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)?.” Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine 21, no. 1 (2020): 1-5.

Sychareun, Vanphanom, Viengnakhone Vongxay, Souphaphone Houaboun, Vassana Thammavongsa, Phouthong Phummavongsa, Kongmany Chaleunvong, and Jo Durham. “Determinants of adolescent pregnancy and access to reproductive and sexual health services for married and unmarried adolescents in rural Lao PDR: a qualitative study.” BMC pregnancy and childbirth 18, no. 1 (2018): 1-12.

[1] Coleman‐Minahan, Kate, Amanda Jean Stevenson, Emily Obront, and Susan Hays. “Adolescents are obtaining an abortion without parental consent: their reasons and experiences of social support.” Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health 52, no. 1 (2020): 15-22.

[2]Frederico, Mónica, Kristien Michielsen, Carlos Arnaldo, and Peter Decat. “Factors influencing abortion decision-making processes among young women.” International journal of environmental research and public health 15, no. 2 (2018): 329.

[3] Strode, Ann, Catherine M. Slack, Zaynab Essack, Jacintha D. Toohey, and Linda-Gail Bekker. “Be legally wise: When is parental consent required for adolescents’ access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)?.” Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine 21, no. 1 (2020): 1-5.

[4] Sychareun, Vanphanom, Viengnakhone Vongxay, Souphaphone Houaboun, Vassana Thammavongsa, Phouthong Phummavongsa, Kongmany Chaleunvong, and Jo Durham. “Determinants of adolescent pregnancy and access to reproductive and sexual health services for married and unmarried adolescents in rural Lao PDR: a qualitative study.” BMC pregnancy and childbirth 18, no. 1 (2018): 1-12.

[5] Coleman-Minahan, Kate, Amanda Jean Stevenson, Emily Obront, and Susan Hays. “Young women’s experiences obtaining judicial bypass for abortion in Texas.” Journal of Adolescent Health 64, no. 1 (2019): 20-25.

[6] Frederico, Mónica, Kristien Michielsen, Carlos Arnaldo, and Peter Decat. “Factors influencing abortion decision-making processes among young women.” International journal of environmental research and public health 15, no. 2 (2018): 329.

[7] Munro, Sarah, Savvy Benipal, Aleyah Williams, Kate Wahl, Logan Trenaman, and Stephanie Begun. “Access experiences and attitudes toward abortion among youth experiencing homelessness in the United States: A systematic review.” PloS one 16, no. 7 (2021): e0252434.