Position Paper

Position Paper A few years ago, I watched a terrifying story on ABC 's 20/20. It was a story about a teenage girl who had gotten pregnant. She successfully managed to keep her pregnancy from everyone, even her immediate family. She secretly gave birth to a baby girl--by herself-- in the basement of her house. Out of fear, she covered the baby with a blanket and the baby died. There was an investigation and trial on the teenage girl, as to whether she should be convicted of murder or not. Every year, more than one million teenagers become pregnant. 84% of them are unintended pregnancies. About half of those seek abortion. Many teenagers who seek abortion come from dysfunctional, abusive, or single parent family. In 38 states, a minor must have a parental consent in order to go through with an abortion. This is a problem because the law pushes these young women to choose more dangerous options such as: running away, attempt to suicide, or unsafe abortion. In some cases, such as the case I saw on 20/20, some teens even end up killing their newborn or "trashing" their babies in garbage cans. The law "only punishes those girls who come from dysfunctional families," whose parents are not so supportive. In a lengthy article of CQ Researcher, Clark points out some very crucial points and important facts as a person who opposes the law requiring parental consent. The vast majority of America is in "favor" of parental involvement in this matter. However, this idea is sometimes "impossible". The law, which forces a minor to tell her parents, induces violence. Parents almost always react violently and the young women have to pay an abusive consequence. Clark 's article was very helpful. He gave national statistics and pointed out that every year, more than one million young women under the age of twenty, become pregnant. Eighty-four percent of these pregnancies are unwanted pregnancies, and about forty-two percent of them are aborted. He

Cited: Ashley, XXXXX. Personal interview. April 10, 2008. Clark, Charles S. "Teenagers and Abortion." CQ Researcher. 5 July 1991: 443-457. Gordon, Sol. "Sol 's Page." Humanist Sep./Oct. 1990: 41-42. Hager, Phillip. "Judge Voids Parental Consent Abortion Law." Los Angeles Times May 28, 1992:A1+.