AULA partners with Montana Family Foundation say parental involvement laws protect teens

By admin on August 29, 2013 10:15 AM

WASHINGTON, D.C. (08-28-13) --
AULA and Montana Family Foundation filed an amicus curiae brief this week in the First Judicial District Court supporting Montana's parental consent and parental notice laws against a challenge by Planned Parenthood. "Children victimized by sexual predators or vulnerable to pressure from an abortion sales team need adult involvement when making such a life-changing decision," said Americans United for Life Action President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest.
She continued:

Abortion harms women, and medical evidence demonstrates that young girls are particularly susceptible to those risks. Yet Planned Parenthood continues its attempts to block commonsense regulations aimed at protecting the health and welfare of young girls and the rights of their parents.

Medical research indicates that minors who abort have an astonishing 78.6 percent chance of experiencing major depression afterward.

Not only would Montana's laws ensure that parents are given the opportunity to help their daughters receive all the information they need to make the best decision, but it also ensures that parents of a daughter who chooses abortion will know about the risk they face.

In 2011, the citizens of Montana passed Legislative Referendum 120, the Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 2011, requiring parental notice before abortion. The initiative was overwhelmingly supported with over 70 percent of the vote. Then in 2013, the Montana Legislature enacted House Bill 391, the Parental Consent for Abortion Act of 2013, requiring parental consent before abortion. Planned Parenthood is challenging both laws.
AULA's amicus brief in Planned Parenthood of Montana v. State of Montana, available here, demonstrates that parental consent and notice laws decrease both minor abortion rates and minor birth rates, that abortion carries significant physical and psychological risks, and that minors are particularly susceptible to these risks.
AULA attorneys have been actively involved in the fight to protect minors and parental rights in Montana. The challenged laws are based on AULA model language, and AUL consulted with allies in Montana during consideration and passage of the laws.