Show Abortion laws subject to change Ani Arakelian Opinion Editor State Representative Stephen R-Orem R is trying to get the abortion bypass law changed in this years year's session of the legislature The Utah abortion bypass law permits minors to get an abortion if they have parent or guardian permission or if they get court permission they can get an abortion without notifying the parents For the court to give permission to a minor the pregnancy must pose a health risk The pregnancy is the result of incest a parent has abused the minor or the minor has not been under the care of the parent would like to make it the law that the parent is always notified of the pregnancy in order that the parent can give their opinion to the court So even if a parent or guardian has sexually abused the girl they would be informed of the pregnancy There is no reason to change the law as it stands If the court is going to give a minor permission to have an abortion then she must meet one of the before mentioned requirements There are some cases when there is a good reason not to tell the parents If a girl is in fear of what her parent or guardian will do and there is a history of abuse she has a rational reason not to tell her parent or guardian If the a pregnancy is isa isa isa a result of sexual abuse of a parent of guardian then changing this law would not only make the the girl confront her parent or guardian but also her abuser The change can be seen as unconstitutional The 14 Amendment gives a person the right to privacy In the case of a minor each state has their own set of laws concerning privacy Utah gives minors the right not to tell their parents if ifs if when they go to the court under the bypass law Abortion rates have been going down for the last decade according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the bypass law is rarely used Rep is trying to tighten the restrictions on abortion This issue has already been debated and the current law is working well The bypass was made to protect these young girls and by changing it they may be exposed to farther abuse |