Nebraska legislature has decided to propose yet another anti-abortion restriction to its books, with a parental consent law being proposed in the legislature. Sen. Linda Brasch, who is the sponsor of the bill, calls it a "priority bill" in a column in the Freemont Tribune.
The public hearing on LB690, a bill I introduced, was held Wednesday before the Judiciary Committee. LB690 requires a minor seeking an abortion to obtain parental consent, a move forward from current law requiring only parental notification. As I stated in my testimony, I wholeheartedly believe requiring parental consent is best for the safety, health, well-being and peace of mind for young women. I am pro-life and believe such requirement would help a minor. She should not find herself alone to decide, but have family there to care for her and her baby as needed. Twenty-five states currently have parental consent requirements. I designated LB690 as my priority bill.
And in Ohio, where the state already requires a teen to get parental permission prior to abortion, the House is proposing new rules on obtaining judicial bypass, including asking if she was "coached." Via the Republic:
The Ohio House has approved new requirements before a minor can be allowed to have an abortion without her parents agreeing to it.
Under a bill passed on a 64-33 vote Tuesday, a judge considering whether to let a girl bypass the parental consent requirement would have to collect evidence that she understands the impacts of having an abortion. The judge also must ask the girl if she was coached on how to answer such questions.
Of course, the real question would be "what defines 'coaching?'" since any information provided to the teen to be sure she "understands the impacts" of the procedure could inevitably be seen as coaching her for obtaining a bypass.
Although seen as a "reasonable health restriction" to many in the anti-choice community, parental consent laws more often have the tendency just to lead to more desperate teen girls.
This post was originally published at RH Reality Check, a site of news, community and commentary for reproductive health and justice
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