Media Activism #2

I picked up a Ms. Magazine yesterday at Whole Foods and read an essay entitled “Jane Doe's Choice” by Lynda Zielinski. It was related to the issues from my previous posting, because again, this topic has been very much on my mind. Over the holidays I got in a heated debate with an older conservative man on the issue of parental consent for teenagers choosing abortion. His viewpoint was basically that the womb of a minor belongs to her parents. This man was a lawyer and he found ways to explain how this was completely constitutional and moral. He refused to accept the fact that young women will seek abortions no matter what, and if they can’t tell their parents, they will put their lives in danger.

The article by Zielinski was about her personal experience assisting women seeking permission from a judge to bypass the consent laws in over 30 states to obtain an abortion without notifying their parents. Judges decide if the minor is mature enough to make this decision – which already seems ironic, based on the fact that denying her permission could very well result in the immature minor becoming a mother. Zielinski explains how complicated the procedure is, observing that any woman who goes through all the steps necessary to stand before a judge has already shown a great amount of maturity. This is also disturbing to know that women who are unable to obtain consent from their parents and who lack the resourcefulness to figure out the judicial system of the bypass laws are more likely to have the unwanted baby. This means that the women who have no support from their parents and no guidance from informed adults will be the ones carrying a baby for nine months and figuring out their doctor’s appointments, nutritional needs and labor choices. How does this legislation make sense?