Since 1995, Illinois had a law requiring minors to notify parents if they were seeking an abortion, but 18 years of court battles delayed its implementation until 2013. This year, the legislature overturned the law – which would mean a minor can get an abortion secretly.
Dr. Michael New, a research associate at The Catholic University of America and an associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, tells AFN that 38 states have some kind of parental-involvement law in place.
"We've a good body of research that shows that these parental-involvement laws reduce minor abortion rates typically by around 15%," says New, adding "there's research showing they have other policy advantages as well."
In an article for National Review, New writes that peer-reviewed studies show that such laws lower teen pregnancy rates, teen suicide rates, and the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases among teens. That, he says, makes the repeal of the law "especially disappointing."
According to the pro-life scholar, Illinois saw positive impacts for the six years the law was on the books.
"Between 2012 and 2018, the number of abortions performed on minors in Illinois fell by just over 50%," he explains. "That wasn't the only reason, but it did play a role."
He adds that in the past Democrat-dominated states would leave some pro-life laws in place. But now, New laments, the party has gone so far to the left that virtually every law passed to protect babies in the womb are targeted – as exemplified in Democrats' annual opposition to the Hyde Amendment.
