Parents need to know when surgery is performed on their daughters, so the parent can watch for physical and mental complications, such as infection and depression. Both of these can be life-threatening. Teens have experienced serious complications and death from legal abortion in Florida. The doctor, no matter how compassionate, is not responsible for the mental health of the young patient. Her parents are.
Parents are more likely to be aware of any pre-existing medical conditions.
Because 80 percent of abortions on teenagers occur in abortion clinics, a girl is unlikely to have the benefit of conferring with a family physician about her decision. In Florida abortions have been performed on children as young as age 10. Parental involvement legislation provides protection for cases where a child states she has been abused or neglected. Teenagers often lack the ability to make fully informed choices that take into account both immediate and long-range consequences. The capacity for a teenager to become pregnant does not guarantee the capacity for mature judgement concerning the wisdom of an abortion.