November 30, 2005 -- High Court Considers Parental Notification Law

The United States Supreme Court heard arguments today in a case involving whether doctors must inform the parents of a pregnant teenager before they perform an abortion. The case before the Court concerns a New Hampshire law that makes no exception from the notification requirement—which would cause a delay of at least 48 hours in performing the procedure—even if the health of the young woman is in danger. The New Hampshire law specifies that if a minor does not want her parents told, she can go to court to get permission for the abortion, but opponents of the law have suggested that if her health is in danger, a young woman “needs a hospital, not a courtroom.” The New Hampshire attorney general, Kelly Ayotte, argued for the state law, saying "only the smallest fraction" of cases would constitute emergencies for which a health exception would be necessary. Speaking for Planned Parenthood, which is challenging the law, attorney Jennifer Dalven countered, "Emergencies are inevitable." Today’s case, the first abortion dispute the Supreme Court has heard in recent years, was closely watched for its implications for other state laws that require parental permission or notification for teen abortions, and also for signs of where new Chief Justice John Roberts may stand on abortion issues. A ruling on the case, Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of New England, is expected in late winter or spring next year.