It's time to trust young people to make their own decisions. 

Some argue that laws forcing minors to talk to their parents about their abortions simply encourage family communication – something we all want. However, the idea that the government can force healthy family interactions ignores the realities of life for many teens and the lasting injuries that can result from enforcement of these laws.

The “judicial bypass” alternative to parental notice – where a minor goes to court and asks a judge for permission to have the abortion without notifying a parent – can actually compound the harms for these young people.

Since the Illinois law went into effect in 2013, more than 99.5 percent of the judicial bypass requests throughout the state have been granted, because judges believed the minors were mature enough to make this decision independently, in consultation with their health care providers.

Young people are capable of making informed decisions about how to handle an unplanned pregnancy. Illinois law recognizes this by permitting pregnant minors to make all other medical decisions – even those involving far greater risk than a safe, legal abortion – without involving a parent or going to court. A pregnant minor can decide to continue her pregnancy and give birth, can consent to far riskier medical care such as a cesarean section, and can place her child for adoption, all without involving a parent. Only if she decides to end her pregnancy does the government force her to tell her family.

These medical organizations oppose parental involvement laws, because they impose serious and irreversible harms on young people without justification: The American Medical Association; The American Academy of Pediatrics; The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; The Society for Adolescent Medicine; The American Public Health Association.