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

It’s time to repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act.

Call Your State Legislator 

PNA is an unnecessary law that puts young people in danger and interferes with their access to time-sensitive health careand it must be repealed. Call your representatives and urge them to repeal PNA today.

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What is the PNA?

The Parental Notice of Abortion Act requires a health care provider to notify an adult family member (parent, legal guardian, grandparent, of step-parent living in the household) at least 48 hours prior to performing an abortion for a patient under 18. The Act allows for a judicial bypass for those who cannot notify an adult family member.

Decades of research and experience demonstrate that laws like this hurt young people and serve no valid purpose.

Email Your State Legislator

Email your state legislator today and ask them to support PNA Repeal. It’s time we trust ALL people to make their own decisions about if and when to become a parent.

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Check out the Reproductive Health and Access Coalition to learn more.

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5 Reasons We Need to Repeal PNA

Healthy family communication cannot be legislated.

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 process itself can harm young people.

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.

The bypass process serves no purpose.

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.

These dangerous restrictions are irrational.

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.

Every leading medical organization publicly opposes forced parental involvement laws.

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.