Court Backs Parental Notification for Abortions

A federal appeals court Thursday unanimously upheld Virginia’s year-old law requiring that parents be notified when girls younger than 18 seek abortions.

The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law does not violate the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision, which held that women have the right to have abortions.

The law “respects the fundamental interests of responsible parents in the rearing and in the educational, moral and religious development of their children,” Judge J. Michael Luttig wrote.

The law requires doctors to notify parents or guardians of girls 17 or younger, who live at home, before performing an abortion. It also says judges may waive the notification requirement for girls who they determine to be mature enough to decide for themselves.

Opponents had argued that the law unconstitutionally and unfairly restricts girls’ access to abortions. The abortion rights group Planned Parenthood also said the judicial bypass provision is vague and gives judges too much discretion to exercise personal preferences.

“We don’t agree with a punitive law that, for some girls, forces them out of the state and forces them to make dangerous decisions,” said Karen Raschke, a Planned Parenthood lawyer.