Lee A. Hasselbacher

Factors Influencing Parental Involvement Among Minors Seeking an Abortion: A Qualitative Study

OBJECTIVES We explored factors that influenced whether minors involved or excluded a parent when seeking an abortion. METHODS In the summer of 2010, we conducted interviews with 30 minors who sought an abortion in a state that did not require parental involvement at the time. Interviews were coded and analyzed following the principles of the grounded theory method. RESULTS The majority of minors involved a parent. Commonly cited factors were close or supportive parental relationships, a sense that disclosure was inevitable, a need for practical assistance, and compelled disclosure. Motivations for not wanting to involve a parent, although some minors ultimately did, included preservation of the parent-daughter relationship, fear or detachment, and preservation of autonomy. CONCLUSIONS Minors were motivated to involve parents and other adults who were engaged in their lives at the time of the pregnancy, particularly those who supported them in obtaining an abortion. Motivations to exclude a parent were often based on particular family circumstances or experiences that suggested that involvement would not be helpful, might be harmful, or might restrict a minors ability to obtain an abortion.

Legal and Policy Issues in Adolescent Contraceptive Care

This chapter addresses legal and policy issues that may arise in the context of providing contraceptive care and counseling to adolescents, specifically adolescents who are minors. In particular, the chapter will focus on how issues such as consent and confidentiality can influence the provision of contraceptive care to minors. The broad legal framework for understanding consent and confidentiality in adolescent health care is shaped by federal and state constitutions and statutes, regulations issued by administrative agencies, and cases decided by courts. Given the complex interplay of laws and the resulting state variations in policy, this chapter explores the broader issues regarding provision of contraceptive counseling and services to adolescent.