Legal hurdles, counseling needs, and support for pregnant teens, whether they carry to term or end the pregnancy

Pregnant teenagers – whether they decide to continue the pregnancy or end it – often confront legal hurdles placed in the way of carrying out their decision. Most states require a teenager seeking an abortion first to notify or obtain the consent of one or both of her parents; if she cannot involve a parent she must go to court to seek a judicial waiver of the requirement; one state restricts teens from using certain assistance to travel out of state travel for abortion; abortion waiting period laws in some cases require teens to make multiple trips to the abortion provider adding to the logistical complications and expense for minors, especially when they cannot involve a parent in their abortion decision. Teenagers who decide to continue the pregnancy face different barriers, as schools in some places attempt to exclude them from activities or push them out of school altogether. And a young woman trying to make the decision whether to continue or end a pregnancy may face a school policy mandating parental notification of her pregnancy, even when the teen objects to the notification. This paper will address the legal issues confronting pregnant teenagers whether they decide to carry the pregnancy to term or have an abortion.