House Bill Would Criminalize Helping Minors Seek Abortions

[The Act] would penalize adults who help minors travel out of state for abortions if the teen has failed to comply with any state law requiring her to notify or obtain her parents. Forty-four states laws on the books requiring young women to notify a parent or obtain parental permission before exercising their abortion rights. However, several of these laws are currently not enforced because courts have found them unconstitutional.

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Proponents of the measure, who believe abortion is immoral, say it will help protect the health of minors and prevent adults who are not a woman’s legal guardian from circumventing what they call “parents’ rights.”

But pro-choice advocates, who have dubbed the legislation the “Teen Endangerment Act,” argue the measure would impose undue restrictions on girls’ right to legal and safe abortions, endanger teenagers’ health, and punish adults for helping “young women in need.”