Opinion ID: 2637239
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Alaska Parental Consent Act

Text: The hallmark of the Alaska Parental Consent Act (PCA or the Act) is the remarkable length to which the legislature went in order to accommodate all of the various, and at times competing, interests that are involved when an unmarried teenage (or pre-teen) girl is faced with pregnancy. [1] In recognition of the primary role that parents are normally expected to play in the upbringing of their children, and in recognition of the fact that children are generally not considered competent to consent to medical procedures, the Act requires the consent of a parent in order for the child to undergo an abortion. [2] In recognition of the fact that divulging her pregnancy to her parents may in some instances be unnecessary or inappropriate  because the minor is sufficiently mature and intelligent to decide the question on her own or because her parent or parents have engaged in physical, sexual, or emotional abuse against her (or because obtaining their consent is otherwise not in the child's best interests)  the Act provides for a confidential and speedy judicial bypass procedure in which a judge decides whether the minor is competent to decide for herself. [3] The legislature engrafted multiple exceptions to the scope of the Act in an effort to create a law that was specifically targeted, to the greatest extent possible, at the population of underage pregnant girls who would be in greatest need of adult guidance in reaching the decision whether to terminate pregnancy. First, the legislature exempted from the scope of the Act all seventeen-year-old girls. [4] The importance of this exemption can hardly be overstated. Studies consistently show that nearly half of all underage abortions are obtained by girls who have reached the age of seventeen. [5] Moreover, only one state consent law exempts seventeen-year-olds from its scope, [6] and only one state notification law does so. [7] This exception also identifies the population of teenage girls most likely competent, by virtue of maturity and experience, to make the decision regarding abortion without adult assistance, and allows them to do so. Second, the legislature exempted from the scope of the Act four additional classes of minors. Each exemption shows that the legislature was attempting to shape a law that would be applied only to those pregnant girls who would most be in need of adult help. Accordingly, the law does not apply to married minors, [8] to minors who have been legally emancipated, [9] to minors who have entered the armed services of the United States, [10] and to minors who have become employed and self-subsisting. [11] Third, in an apparent effort to make certain that the Act would not have coverage over any other underage pregnant girls who were capable of making the decision on their own, the legislature included a catch-all exception to the Act: any who had otherwise become independent from the care and control of [her] parent, guardian, or custodian. [12] The legislature next created a judicial bypass procedure to cover those cases of underage pregnancy not covered by these exceptions. The judicial bypass procedure is designed to be confidential, speedy, cost-free to the child, and easy to use. The court system is directed to prepare forms for use by the child [13] without charge [14] and have them available at every court location in the state: superior court, district court, and magistrate. [15] Counsel shall immediately be made available without charge to any minor who seeks judicial bypass [16] and the forms shall contain this notification. [17] There are no filing fees to be charged [18] and no court costs assessed [19] against the child. The proceedings surrounding judicial bypass are strictly confidential: Courts are instructed to conduct all proceedings so as to preserve the anonymity of the child. [20] Moreover, the Act specifically directs the court that it may not notify the parents, guardian, or custodian of the child that she is pregnant or seeks an abortion. [21] All papers and records pertaining to the matter shall be kept confidential and are not public records under Alaska law. [22] In deference to the need for speedy resolution of the consent question in cases where an abortion is sought, the Act provides for extremely short timelines. The court is directed to set the hearing at the earliest possible time and in any event not more than five business days after the complaint is filed. [23] The court is directed to enter judgment immediately after the hearing is ended. [24] If the hearing is not held by the fifth day after the case is filed, that failure will be considered to be a constructive authorization by the court for the child to consent to an abortion. [25] Similarly short deadlines apply to an appeal. [26] As to the substance of the inquiry that the judge must make, it is straightforward and simple: The court determines whether the child is sufficiently mature and informed to make the decision to have an abortion. [27] (In those cases where the minor has alleged abuse by her parent or guardian, the court determines whether such abuse has occurred. [28] ) If the child is sufficiently mature to make the decision (or if abuse has occurred and an abortion is in the minor's best interest), the court authorizes her to consent to an abortion; if she is not sufficiently mature to decide on her own or if there has not been abuse, the case is dismissed. [29] In sum, the Alaska Parental Consent Act appears to be the product of a concerted effort to make certain that those pregnant girls who are sufficiently mature to make the decision to obtain an abortion on their own are allowed to do so while those who are not sufficiently mature either obtain a parent's consent or, in the case of parental abuse, a judicial determination that the procedure is in their best interest.