Teen Abortion Laws in the United States

With the ongoing debate surrounding abortion, the topic of performing teen terminations is clearly on the minds of lawmakers. The law states terminations are legal procedures and can be performed on adult women by licensed individuals. This law has been in place since the since the groundbreaking Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade in 1973. However, this law only affects adult women, clearly defined as any woman over the age of 18, so it cannot apply to teenagers. An estimated 2,560 American females under the age of 14 were legally documented to have terminations in 2000. That number jumps to 84,770 when regarding teenage girls ages 15 to 17 in the same year. Again, these numbers only document the legal terminations received, and it can be assumed many other these girls sought out illegal procedures due to one reason or another.

Twenty-one states in the country require teenagers to have parent or guardian permission in order to legally seek a termination. These states include Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Wyoming. The states of Alaska and South Carolina lower the age of adulthood from 18 to 17 years of age. Maine allows an adult family member to give his or her consent for the teen abortion. Wisconsin grants legal permission from a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or sibling who is over the age of 25. If you are seeking a teen termination and find yourself living in one of these states, your local family planning center will be able to inform you of all laws regarding the situation.

Eighteen states in the country do not require any parent or guardian permission in order for a teen termination to be performed. These states include California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. Additionally, the District of Columbia requires no permission, as does the states of Alaska and South Carolina as long as the teen is over the age of 17.

Finally, 14 states require parent or guardian notification before a teen abortion is performed. These states have different rules and regulations regarding the procedure, so check with your specific state to ensure your procedure will be legal. These states include Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Also read our article about Surgical Abortion