Rulings Called Danger to Teen Girls’ Health, Rights

Abortion rights advocates said today the Supreme Court decisions upholding parental notification for minors whittle away the constitutional right to an abortion and pose a medical danger to girls afraid to discuss a planned abortion with parents.

Faye Wattleton, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said the court’s rulings pose “an incredible danger to teen-agers who are determined not to tell their parents” of their intention to have an abortion.

“It appears that when you read the two rulings together, the court is continuing the course it set in Webster (vs. Reproductive Health Service) which is, by fractured opinions, steadily eroding the constitutional protections accorded women who might choose abortion. Today’s victims are minors,” said Roger Evans, who argued the Ohio case for Planned Parenthood.

Anti-abortion officials praised the rulings for expanding a parent’s role when a girl is considering an abortion.

“Today, the court indicated it is sympathetic to parental interests. It is still not clear how far they’ll go, but it is clear that they favor parental involvement. These parental decisions are life and death issues in the lives of children and families,” said Susan Smith, a lobbyist for the National Right to Life.

Robert McFadden of the Ad Hoc Committee in Defense of Life, who hailed the decisions, said he favors anything that delays an abortion.

He said the rulings put abortion “on an equal footing” with other surgical procedures.

Janet Benshoof, who argued the Minnesota case for the American Civil Liberties Union, said legal bypass systems traditionally have ensured “survival of the fittest.”

“The cheerleaders and the class valedictorians all got to court and had their abortions. The Indian kids, the minority kids and the poor kids all had babies,” Benshoof said. “Teen-agers have died because of these kinds of laws. Teen-agers have had late abortions because of these kinds of laws. Teen-agers have had unwanted pregnancies because of these kinds of laws.”