More fuel for the abortion fire

[asterroc]

A study by Baruch College (CUNY) says that Texas parental notification laws have reduced the number of minors having abortions, however it increased the number of (riskier) second trimester abortions. The CNN/AP article doesn't say whether or how they controled for other factors such as increasing contraceptive use, nor whether the results are statistically significant (though one presumes they wouldn't've made the press release if it wasn't significant).

Comments

[sammka.livejournal.com]

The study doesn't seem to have even looked at the rate of hospitalizations for apparent home-abortion attempts, or suicide.

I personally know at least two people who got abortions as minors and who, if that law had been in effect, would have definitely attempted illegal abortions so as not to let their parents know. One had been raped.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

Man. The thought of a parental consent law, and the parent then forcing the minor to bear a child conceived in rape makes my stomach turn. Ugh, or worse, a child of the parent's own incest! Do you know, can parents force a pregnant minor to have an abortion if she is unwilling?

Josh made a good comment to this post that it's the fact that women are forced to bear the burden while men get off scott free that is part of what makes anti-abortion laws so terrible. I suspect that if men simply had the ability to get pregnant, that rapes would decrease significantly.

[sammka.livejournal.com]

*nods* actually the one who was raped was raped by a relative, which is why she was so careful to keep it from her mother (who still doesn't know).

In cases of incest, parents are often blinded by the belief that the perp couldn't have done something like that and refuse to believe that the child is a victim. They can even persecute the kid for it. Now imagine that... with baby added!

and speaking of men getting off scot free... this seems to be a theme on my friends list!