Right-wing tactic backfires: Parents don't want their teens pregnant

Laws requiring arental notification before an abortion have done little to slow the rate of abortion.

In a study conducted by the New York Times, the effect of the law in six states since 1999 was studied.

In Tennessee, the abortion rate actually went down when a court issued an injunction against the law and then went back up when the law went back into effect. The rate of abortion increased in Idaho and Arizona after these laws were enacted.

In Texas, the rate of teen abortions had been decreasing since Bush left the governor's office. After a parental notification law came into effect, the rate continued to decrease, but decreased more slowly.

Workers at doctors offices and abortion clinics who were interviewed by the Times, said that in many cases, parents, when notified, insist their teenagers have abortions. Rather than prevent their teens from having the abortion, the goal of the right wingers who have pushed these laws, parents don't want their children to ruin their lives by having babies they cannot raise. Parents usually then accompany their children and pay for the abortion.

So for those of us who don't think teenagers should be having babies that no one wants, maybe parental notification laws are a good thing, as long as there is an exception for teens whose lives would be in danger with notification and in cases of incest.