Florida Amendment 1: Parental Notification

What I don't understand is (and forgive me, because I may be COMPLETELY mistaken here... I don't have kids yet and I've never had to deal with this...), don't parents have to be notified before minors have medical procedures done on them in general?? I mean, if I am a 16 y.o. girl who goes into a doctor's office or a hospital for some reason, don't they have to notify a parent before giving care? And if so, why should they not have to notify a parent for an abortion? I mean, the girl is still under their care, right? I just don't understand...??

Kids can go to the Dr. and hospital without parental permission. When I was a freshman in high school (30 years ago) the school nurse came to the girls P.E. class and told us she could take us for an abortion or birth control pills without our parents permission. We lived in a small town at the time. I had friends who got abortions without their parents permission.

For the most part I support parental notification, I mean, my daughter can't get her navel pierced or get a tatoo prior to 18 without parental consent in WA (she asked and received permission for both.) But then, I start thinking about girls who are victims of incest... do they have to ask their rapist for permission for an abortion? I suppose that they'll build in exemptions, but one has to wonder how that will work. I have to hide my head in shame...I waffle over the parental notification issue. Brandy, you're very brave indeed for bringing this up, given all of the hot threads over the past couple of days. Thanks! Paige

Can kids bypass parental permission for other 'medical' issues as well, or only for those related with birthcontrol or abortion?

I believe it applies to STDs also.

Does a minor have to give parental notification to sign adoption/parental relinquishment forms? After all, she is the child's mother and the only one (other than the father) with legal 'rights' to the child, right? What difficulties arise from children making adult decisions and having to live with adult consequences!

I'm not sure about the laws. But I know of a couple of cases. My friend's yonger brother got his girfriend pregnant. (both 16 or 17 yrs old) She didn't tell anyone until she was 6 mos. along. Her parents wanted her to give the baby up for adoption. My friends brother wanted to keep the baby. Her parents tried to fight it but she had the right to choose. He kept the baby. We had a young girl here in our county (17 yrs) who got pregnant. She already had a 14 mo. old she was raising. She hid her pregnancy from family and friends. When she went into labor, whe drove herself to the hospital, delivered, signed away her rights and drive herself home, leaving the baby at the hospital. So, I am assuming a young woman under the age of 18 can give her baby up without her parents permission. Also, as far a kids making adult decisions and living with the consequences, we have teenagers comitting murder, rape and other crimes and are tried as adults. There is always consequences for the choices we make, good or bad.

There is a difference between having to *notify* someone vs having to ask for *permission*. I believe the Florida law does not say that the girl's parents have to agree to the abortion, only that they be informed that she is obtaining one. I assume it's legal for her to get an abortion if her parents simply *know* - even if they're standing in the waiting room screaming that they won't permit it. Is there a time period specified between notifying the parents and then being able to obtain the abortion? I didn't read anything about one, so it sounds like a phone call from the doctor's office would suffice. Does the law say who has to do the notifying? If not, the doctor or nurse at the doctor's office could do the notifying. Or the school counselor. Or whoever else the girl told. Thoughts on those details?

My only concern is that with the HIPA laws in place nowanyone over the age of 12 has to consent to their medical information being releasedŅat least thats the way I understand it. I know that when my son Jerrett was four or five I had a teenager living with me that was a family friend҅she was helping me care for my son when I was called away in the middle of the night (during my internship). She became ill and I took her to the hospital, and they wouldnt release any information to her parents without her consent and that was before HIPA. As recently as the late eights, it was legal, in Texas, for a parent to consent to an abortion for their minor, even if the minor objected. To me, it just seems like it comes really close to interfering with a womanҒs right to choose, which like it or not, is legal in this country. Im not sure of the specifics of the law in regards to who must make the notification and what affect it has on the choice, if any.

I am of two minds about this: First, as a mother, of course I would want to know if my daughter was facing anything as serious as a pregnancy. But, second, parental notification laws kill teens. There is the case of Becky Bell in, I believe, Indiana, who was so afraid of disappointing her parents that she sought an illegal abortion to avoid notifying them. She died of complications. Her parents believe is she had been able to obtain a legal abortion without parental notification, their daughter would be here today.

My mother, my sister and I just had a conversation on this. My mother was appalled that a girl could receive an abortion, birth control or treatment without the parents permission. My sister and I agreed that it shouldn't be mandatory for parents to be notified. As far as I'm concerned, no one has the right to tell anyone what to do to their bodies medically. And no one has the right to breach confidentiality. My nieces are 15 and 16. And for a couple of years now, the dr. (a ped) has to ask their permission for their mother to be the room for an exam. They have an awesome relationship with their mother and in most probabilty would discuss/have discussed anything with their mother - including sex, birth control, abortion, pregnancy. However, you never know until the situation comes up. But it is their decision.

You are right there is a difference. I would think that it would break doctor patient confidentiality if the doctor's office did the notifing. Same thing with a school counselor. So I am assuming they would have to get permission.

I am totally opposed to the notification, and I did vote against it. I think many voters were looking at it from an "idealistic" standpoint as opposed to the realistic side. Spaypets said it beautifully..."parental notification laws kill teens." I feel like it is going to resurrect back alley abortions, lead to more teens running away, and up the number of "discarded" new-borns, as all home situations are not ideal. Maybe I am over-reacting, but I am terribly sad that the voters here couldn't see past the wording. ~D

Eventhough I would want to know if my daughter received medical treatment of any kind, I believe that the doctor patient confidentially should be protected. Why should it stop with this. Other privacy issues will be violated. The idea of the "general" notice is a compromise. The same with counselors. The alternative would be to go to a state where the laws are different. So then you have runaways etc. I just glad my daughter came to us when she got pregnant. She was 23 at the time but she was still living at home. BTW, I do not believe in abortion but do not judge those who would choose it. I can pray but I will not judge and condem. It makes me sad. I do not want to rehash the "when life begins" arguement. I do believe that life begins at conception. I believe that if a woman choses to abort her unborn child, it is between her and God. I may not like her choice, but she is not accountable to me. When I hold my sweet baby, I thank God his mother did not choose to end his life. I feel the same about my 14 yr. old. Boy. I did I get off on a bunny trail. Sorry.

I am totally against mandatory parental notification. Can you imagine a fourteen-year-old girl who's being raped by her, let's say, father? She gets preg. as the result of incestuous rape. She's scared out of her mind. She wants an abortion..... but she can't have one unless the doctor notifies her father??????? and/or her enabling mother??????? Noooooooooo. Or forget the father.... let's say they put something in that says notification can be bypassed in extreme cases..... let's just say fourteen-year-old girl gets pregnant by her ethnic boyfriend. She wants an abortion. Her parents are racist and would, let's say, verbally abuse her if they knew she was preg with this guy's baby. Again, the dr. has to notify her parents??? Again...nooooo. I am a mother of a girl now. I hope if Elise ever finds herself pregnant, she comes and talks to me about it. I hope she'll know that I won't judge her, but will simply love her and support her and be there to cry with her when she makes the tough choices. But if, for some reason, she feels she can't come to me.... and if she chooses an abortion.... then I would MUCH rather have her get a safe one, then seek out an illegal one for fear of my reaction. I really don't "get" the whole parental notification, anyway. WHY are parents so insistent on needing to know? If a safe abortion is performed..... then does it matter whether we were notified or not? (On a practical level. )Obviously on an emotional level, we'd like to know so we can help our daughters work through the feelings it would bring, but..... We can't force our children to communicate with us. All we can do is strive to be the kinds of parents that our kids want to talk to. IMO.