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State-mandated parental notification laws in CO, DE, GA, IA, MT, and NH require healthcare providers to notify a parent about a young person’s abortion decision prior to receiving care. The only alternative is to petition a judge for a court order in an invasive, stressful, and often traumatizing process called “judicial bypass.” These laws are dangerous barriers to care that allow young people’s abortion decisions to be vetoed by their parents or a judge.

The 89-page report, “Whose Abortion Is It? The Harms of State-Mandated Parental Notification for Abortion and Judicial Bypass in the United States,” documents how state-mandated parental notification laws in six US states threaten young people’s health and safety and undermine their human rights.

Key Findings

• State laws requiring healthcare providers to notify a parent about a young person’s abortion decision cause harmful delays and can block access to health care.
• While policymakers have described parental notification as less onerous than parental consent laws, parental notification laws effectively grant parents—or a judge—veto power over a young person’s abortion decision.
• When parents are able to withhold financial support, restrict young people’s movement or access to communication or transportation, or threaten life-altering consequences, they can effectively block young people’s access to abortion care even if the law requires only notice and not explicit consent.
• Even for young people who involve a parent and do not pursue judicial bypass, forced notification laws can delay and obstruct access to abortion, pushing young people to seek care later in pregnancy that may be more costly or time-consuming.
• These laws grant immense power to judges whose biases and antiabortion beliefs can influence their decisions to block a young person’s access to abortion.
• Parental notification laws and judicial bypass processes cause distinct and additional harm to youth already facing systematic barriers to accessing abortion care and unfair treatment in the legal system in general, especially Black, Indigenous, and other young people of color, and young people in the foster system.

Policy Recommendations

• Lawmakers in states with parental notification laws should repeal these laws and affirm young people’s rights to make fundamental decisions about their bodies and lives.

→ Read our full report on parental notification laws

Take action

• Are you a lawyer in a state with a parental involvement law? Join our network to help young people access abortion.
• Get Help: If you need legal support accessing abortion as a young person, including understanding your rights, the Repro Legal Helpline can help. The Helpline provides free, confidential legal services for your abortion, no matter your age or your immigration status. Visit ReproLegalHelpline.org or call 844-868-2812 to connect with a lawyer.
• Support our Legal Work: Your donation directly fuels our legal advocacy efforts and helps us continue to defend anyone facing criminalization for pregnancy, abortion, or birth. Give today.