Parental Consent Threatened

Volume 3, Issue 3

Parents in Michigan should be on notice! The Governor and her allies in the state legislature are determined to further chip away at parental rights, intent on overturning parental consent for a minor girl seeking an abortion in Michigan.

This is not the first time that parental consent for abortions has been threatened in Michigan. Last summer, abortion activists and legislators stated through various news outlets that they support the repeal or intend to repeal parental consent for abortions.

On Tuesday, March 26, when referring to the Reproductive Health Act, Governor Gretchen Whitmer told Michigan Public Radio the removal of parental consent for abortion “was a part of the original package, and I was advocating for the whole package to get to my desk…”

Doing so flouts the will of Michigan voters. Parental consent for a minor girl seeking an abortion is supported by  according to a Marketing Resource Group poll that was conducted last fall.

The ACLU and the Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health (MOASH) released a report, “In Harms Way” on March 28 that is actively seeking to remove parents from one of the most important decisions a minor girl could face, one that everyone acknowledges will have a lifelong impact regardless of the decision.

Currently, minors seeking an abortion must get a parent’s consent or seek a judicial bypass prior to obtaining an abortion.

The Parental Consent for Abortion Law has been the law of the land since 1990. The law was put into place through a citizen initiative petition, meaning Michiganders gathered together to collectively fight for the rights of parents and the protection of children. Without this law, parents could be completely taken out of the equation when it comes to a dangerous drug/surgery.

Now is the time to inform your family, friends, and community to let them know how dangerous this is for children and
parents.