In some states, women under the age of 18 must involve their parents in their decision to have an abortion. There are two forms of mandated parental involvement:
- Parental Consent, where one or both of the woman's parents must give their permission for her to have an abortion
- Parental Notification, where one or both of the woman's parents must be notified by the provider that their daughter is having an abortion
Almost all parental notification and consent laws have judicial bypass options. This means that if you feel you cannot involve one or both of your parents, you can ask a judge for permission to proceed with your abortion. The judge will decide whether you are mature enough to make the decision to have an abortion without involving your parents. If your clinic is in a state that has a parental involvement law, they may be able to help you with obtaining a judicial bypass. However, there are some places where judicial bypass is not available or difficult to obtain. More about parental involvement laws
Some states have waiting periods for a state-mandated informed consent process. This means that it is illegal to provide an abortion to a woman until she has been given state-generated information about abortion. After this information is provided, the woman must wait usually 24 to 48 hours before she can have an abortion. Clinics in these states have procedures to comply with these laws. More about laws that require waiting periods and biased counseling
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