Laws requiring parents to be involved in their underage daughter's decision regarding abortion are effective in reducing abortions among minors, according to a study by the Family Research Council.
Data compiled from nearly all 50 states between 1985 and 1999 show that when a state enacts a parental-involvement law, the abortion rate subsequently falls by close to 14 percent.
Dr. Michael New, study author and assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama, said about 36 states have a parental-involvement law on the books. "The overwhelming evidence in support of parental-involvement laws should be a boon to legislators everywhere," he said.
Carrie Gordon Earll, senior bioethics analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said abortion activists should take note of these statistics.
"We often hear proponents of abortion, like Planned Parenthood, saying that they just want to have fewer abortions in the country," she said. "Well, if that’s truly the case, they should get behind parental-involvement laws.”
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— Devon Williams
