Christ First Forum

Penn. parental consent challenged

Pennsylvania's Supreme Court is hearing an important parental rights case that will impact a 20-year-old consent law that deals with minors obtaining abortions.

The current measure requires that a girl under the age of 18 have the consent of at least one parent before she can abort her unborn child. But if permission is not granted, or if the minor wants to hide the procedure request from her parents, she can get a judicial bypass if the court determines that she is "mature and capable of giving informed consent."

"We want the court to uphold our Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act, which ensures that minors cannot get an abortion without their parents' consent unless they go to a judge first," explains Maria Vitale of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation. But "that judge cannot be a rubber stamp for abortion," she adds.

Maria Vitale (Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation)That, however, has been he case for a number of Pennsylvania judges, she contends. But this review of the law follows the case of a young girl who was denied a judicial bypass and was told she must have the consent of at least one parent.

"Unfortunately, judges have given teenagers carte blanche to have abortions in this state, and this is outrageous," the pro-lifer contends. "This shouldn't happen. In this particular case, though, the judge did the right thing, and he did not grant the abortion for the minor girl. So we want to see that case upheld at the high court."


Vitale notes that the state has a common-sense law that is supported by the vast majority of Pennsylvanians. So she hopes the high court makes it clear that while judges have discretion in granting judicial bypasses, such action should not be automatic.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=1290092