By Adam Denison
Utah minors seeking an abortion may have to clear it with one parent or guardian if a recently introduced bill becomes a law.
Under current Utah law, the acting physician must notify the parents or legal guardian of the minor upon whom the abortion is to be performed. The law also mandates that a woman must notify her husband before having an abortion.
'This change is simply to make Utah code consistent with Supreme Court rulings on the constitutionality of laws involving abortion and notification of a spouse,' said House Majority Leader Jeff Alexander.
The greatest impact of this bill would be greater awareness and involvement of a parent or guardian before a minor receives an abortion, Alexander said.
Shelley Ver Steeg, executive director of the Pregnancy Resource Center in Orem is in favor of the new legislation because it provides more information to parents of minors seeking abortions.
'I can''t see why anyone would object to having more info,' she said.
Ver Steeg said she supports the requirement for parental consent before an abortion because she understands the risks involved in abortion procedures. The Pregnancy Resource Center is a non-profit organization that provides peer counseling and advice to expectant mothers.
The only objection Ver Steeg has to the new legislation is that it is taking away minors'' right to choose. However, she pointed out that society impedes minors'' rights to choose in a number of different areas, such as driving.
'Frankly, aren''t developed enough to make this decision for themselves,' she said.
Requiring parental consent before a minor can have an abortion is good because then parents can support the young women, said Tammy Leake, executive director at the Pregnancy Care Center of Ogden.
'Parents are often more supportive than think they''d be,' Leake said.
Leake said the proposed legislation would give young women the advantage of having others with them to walk them through and give perspective to a difficult situation.
The new legislation, which recently passed in the House, comes not long after the 33rd anniversary of the landmark abortion case, Roe v. Wade. The 1973 court decision held that most laws prohibiting abortion were an infringement on one''s constitutional right to privacy.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Washington Monday, Jan. 23, 2006, to participate in a March for Life walk and rally protesting abortion. They were not alone as many pro-choice supporters gathered to voice their opinions that Roe v. Wade should be upheld. Some think that newly appointed Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will overturn the case.