Should girls be required to tell their parents before having an abortion?
“I believe that parents should be fully involved in all decisions regarding their children. But we also have to take into account possible family dysfunction, including abuse or incest. I will not force a girl who has been abused by a family member to ask the rapist for permission in making a difficult and heart-wrenching choice. Too many proposed laws have failed to include common sense ‘bypass’ provisions to protect the victims of these brutal and unspeakable crimes.”–John Kerry
“I believe parents should have the right to be involved in any major medical decision affecting their minor daughter. When young girls who are still legally minors find themselves in difficult situations regarding pregnancy, they may be easily influenced into making harmful and even dangerous choices. … I will continue to support parental notification laws so that parents are involved in the decisions of their minor daughters.”–President Bush
