Abortion

Florida Moves Forward on Parental Notification Bill

Changes in the rules for minor girls seeking abortions are pushing through the Florida House.

The state of Florida is working to tighten the rules on allowing pregnant teens to obtain abortions by requiring teens to obtain permission from both parents, or, to get judicial bypass, go only to the district judge in their locality.  Those judges will now also have an extra 24 to 72 hours to make a decision on whether or not to grant permission, the Miami Herald reports.

Lawmakers pushing for the changes claim that it is far too easy for teen girls to get abortions without informing their parents, saying that it is easier to get an abortion that get asprin in schools.

“The state will not allow a school nurse or a school teacher to give that student a Tylenol or an Advil with out parental permission yet they’re willing to let them terminate a pregnancy without parental permission. I just find that completely unacceptable,” said [bill sponsor Alan] Hays.

The last time the state tried to pass more onerous parental consent laws, the state Supreme Court struck them down as a violation of privacy.