There are so many barriers to women in the\nU.S. procuring safe abortions: Cost, ability to travel to a clinic, language,\nand pressure from friends and family, to name a few. One barrier that doesn\u2019t\nget talked about as often is age\u2014perhaps because it\u2019s less socially acceptable\nfor women under the age of 18 to get pregnant. But minors do get pregnant, and\nsome minors want abortions. What about them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, 37 states in the U.S<\/a>. require some form of\nparental involvement in order for a minor to legally terminate a pregnancy.\nMany advocates argue that these laws put those who need the most help at a\ndisadvantage: Survivors of rape and incest, for example. Notably, the American\nAcademy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the Society for\nAdolescent Health and Medicine, the American Public Health Association, and the\nAmerican College of Obstetricians have all publicly denounced parental consent\nlaws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In these 37 states, there is an alternative\noption to parental consent called judicial bypass. Judicial bypass comes with\nit\u2019s own challenges, though. For one, most successful judicial bypasses are\nfacilitated by a lawyer. Pro Bono attorneys and organizations do exist<\/a>\nfor youth who (understandably) cannot afford to hire an attorney, and in some\ncases, a county government lawyer is assigned. Once a minor meets with a\nlawyer, they will facilitate the process, which includes obtaining an\nultrasound, submitting paperwork, and presenting a case to a judge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clearly, our judicial system is not designed\nto protect the bodily autonomy of young women. Although that\u2019s a daunting\nreality, there are many capable organizations out there that exist to protect\nvulnerable women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n