For the first time since Roe v. Wade became law, parents in Illinois have won the right to be notified if their underage daughter seeks an abortion. That right was won after the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday dissolved a federal injunction on the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act.
That act was passed more than ten years ago, but was never enacted due to the courts. Since then more than 50,000 underage girls have obtained abortions in Illinois -- some of them as young as 14 years of age.
David Smith, who heads the Illinois Family Institute, says the recent decision will save lives.
"No parent wants their children to go through a procedure like that," says Smith. "Most parents...would want to see the baby come into the family and that the whole support group there take care of the child -- or...they could [even] explore other options like adoption."
"Parents want to be able to have that say in their minor child's life," he continues, "and to be able to protect them from the physical [and] emotional harms that come along with an abortion."
Smith says Illinois attracted a lot of out-of-state minors seeking abortions because their home states required parental notification. He hopes this latest court ruling will put a stop to that.
Contact: Pete Chagnon
Source: OneNewsNow
Publish Date: July 15, 2009
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