The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has lifted an injunction against enforcement of the Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1995, which was ordered by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The Seventh Circuit court found that the notification law was unconstitutional since it did not allow the judge to waive notification in cases of minors who are mature or who would face a greater risk of harm by such notification. The appellate court noted the law allows state judges to waive the notice requirement if doing so would be in a minor’s best interest. The court also noted the open nature of the statutory language, which it explained did not require judges to consider both the maturity and the interests of the minor. It also pointed out that minors lacking the maturity to consent to an abortion are provided for under the statute.
Because Illinois was the only state in the region without an active parental notification law for minors seeking abortions, pro-life groups had argued that minors from surrounding states would travel to Illinois seeking abortions. Currently, there are 35 other states with parental notification or permission laws for minors to obtain an abortion.
Source: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2009/07/7th-circuit-dissolves-injunction.php
Tags: Abortion, Parental Notice of Abortion Act, parental notification
