Christian Headlines Blog Christian Blog and Commentary

Get guidance on Bible study from C.S. Lewis - Free Course!

West Virginia Gov. Signs Bill Preventing Underage Abortions without Parental Consent

  • Veronica Neffinger

    Veronica Neffinger wrote her first poem at age seven and went on to study English in college, focusing on 18th century literature. When she is not listening to baseball games, enjoying the…

    More
  • Updated Apr 28, 2017

West Virginia’s governor has signed a bill into law that prevents underage girls from getting abortions without parental consent.

LifeNews.com reports that Gov. Jim Justice signed the Parent’s Right to Know Act into law after it was passed in the West Virginia legislature.

West Virginia law had already prohibited underage girls from getting abortions, but it allowed them to go through with the abortion if they obtained a waiver from a second doctor. The new law closes this loophole, although it does still allow a judge to override the law in cases of parental abuse.

Overall, pro-life groups applauded the new measure. “West Virginia’s pro-life legislators recognized the need to protect the rights of parents to know when their daughter is contemplating an abortion, which is an invasive surgical procedure and a life-changing decision,” said Karen Cross, political director of West Virginians for Life.

Cross added, however, “If a child is a victim of sexual abuse, I find it unbelievable that she can be given a secret abortion and returned to the abuse. This law should rectify that because judges are mandatory reporters.”

LifeNews also notes that parental consent abortion laws have strong public support and 37 states currently have some form of such a law in place.

 

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: April 28, 2017