Government
Parental consent law struck down
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Aug. 16, 2004
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down an Idaho parental consent law for teenagers seeking abortions because it didn't create an adequate exception for cases in which pregnancy endangers the teen's life or health. The statute required teens younger than 18 to get written consent from a parent or permission from a judge to obtain an abortion. The 9th Circuit said that Idaho's exception for "medical emergency" was too narrow.
"The statute will unconstitutionally allow Idaho to interfere with a woman's choice to undergo an abortion procedure if continuing her pregnancy would constitute a threat to her health, which the essential holding of Roe [v. Wade] forbids," the court said.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/08/16/gvbf0816.htm.
