Teen abortions and suicides down – following parental notification laws

California volunteers are in final two months of gathering signatures for a Parental Notification initiative. The first of the following two studies was covered in the March 2 edition of the National Right to Life News; the second in the March 1 edition of the Catholic Anchor of Alaska.

Teen suicides

Whenever parental notification or consent laws are considered, abortion advocates make many dubious claims – that they aren’t needed, since most teens already tell their parents (so why the problem?), that teens fully comprehend the medical and psychological consequences of their decisions (they don’t), that such laws won’t work (despite evidence that they do), and so forth.

But perhaps the most dire threat they make is that such laws may push pregnant teens to consider suicide….

A study by two economists appearing in the January 18, 2012 online version of the Journal of Economic Inquiry refutes the hysteria with solid evidence that parental involvement laws actually decrease the incidence of teen suicide, rather than increase it. So, if all those luminaries want to reduce the numbers of teen suicides, they’d need to switch sides on the parental involvement issue.

In “The Effect of Parental Involvement Laws on Youth Suicide,” economists Joseph J. Sabia and Daniel I. Rees examine state level data from 1987 to 2003, looking at suicide rates among teens that would and would not be affected by laws.

What they found was that “the adoption of a law requiring a parent’s notification or consent before a minor can obtain an abortion is associated with an 11%-21% reduction in the number of 15- through 17-year-old females who commit suicide.”

Click here to read entire story.

Teen abortions

The number of abortions performed in Alaska, including abortions on teens, dropped in 2011, according to the annual report from the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics.

The bureau’s figures are based on reports from abortion clinics across the state.
There was a total of 1,627 abortions in 2011, down 5.1 percent from 1,715 in 2010.

In 2011, there were 272 abortions on teens ages 15 to 19 years old; in 2010, there were 339. However, there was an uptick in abortions on girls under 15: there were seven in 2011 and two in 2010.

Since December 2010, a state law — passed overwhelmingly by voter initiative — has required an abortionist to notify a girl’s parent before performing an abortion on her….

Click here to read entire story.

READER COMMENTS

Posted Monday, March 05, 2012 12:45 AM By charlio
The opposition is fully aware of the fact that parents have the most influence over their teens’ sexual choices, more than peers or popular media. That’s why Planned Parenthood long ago declared war on parents and the Churches, to try to wrest children away from them. Since the death industry is sterile, it can only propagate itself by corrupting young people with “anti-bullying” campaigns. Whey do zombies want to bite people? Is it just their way of being friendly and saying “Hi!”

Posted Monday, March 05, 2012 6:48 AM By Dan
It’s the LA Times that needs to get a hold of this story, and run with it. They might comment on the importance of family for the health of the teen in difficult circumstances, as opposed to the State.

Posted Monday, March 05, 2012 7:45 AM By perrywRinkle
Now if Obamacare had sponsored these facts, we could believe and celebrate them.

Posted Monday, March 05, 2012 8:10 AM By JMJ
What is so amazing is that before birth control became “popular” the divorce rate was down, suicides were down, sexual diseases were down and people were cordial to each other: NOW: as we can see, everything is upside down and only getting worse. +JMJ+

Posted Monday, March 05, 2012 3:32 PM By Delilah
Thank you JMJ. There are times when I long for the days when, men were men, women were women and we celebrated the difference. We waited for marriage and taught our children responsibility, manners and respect for others. Marriage vows said “until death do us part” and we meant them. Pax

Posted Monday, March 05, 2012 5:49 PM By Maryanne Leonard
Yes, JMJ and Delilah, I agree. I think it is important to realize that though we each may be only one person, each of the people in the times we remember was only one person as well. We can each speak up, as you have both done, and each live lives as holy and good as we possibly can, and each one of us try to be an inspiration to others as a secondary benefit to society. This is our watch, and we are not without impact on our times. We need to speak out against all the insanity, sin and corruption we see around us and try to love and forgive others and help them come to the faith, not merely to make a more livable world, but to help our brothers and sisters live lives that will save their eternal souls. We are indeed our brothers’ keepers.

Posted Monday, March 05, 2012 9:12 PM By k
Maryanne Leonard, good to see a post from you. Are you OK?

Posted Tuesday, March 06, 2012 12:15 AM By Kenneth M. Fisher
Facts only get in the way of the pro-abortion people! God bless, yours in Their Hearts, Kenneth M. Fisher

Posted Tuesday, March 06, 2012 2:30 AM By MIKE
Today is not yesterday. We each will be held accountable according to our ability, and making use of the truth the Church has provided. We have been put on this earth at this time in history for a reason. Bishops, Priests and Laity must spread the truth of our Faith. Bishops followed by Priests have the most responsibility – since they have the use of the pulpit, parish bulletins, Diocese and Parish web sites, etc. The rest of us must do our best with the resources available to us, never deviating from Holy Mother the Church.