Planned Parenthood happy to help minors obtain abortions without parents’ knowledge

A teen writes to Planned Parenthood’s “experts” about how she can obtain a second-trimester abortion and hide it from her parents:

“Is abortion possible after the first trimester? How much does an abortion cost if you are a minor and want to keep the abortion from your parents?? Help!!!”

Planned Parenthood explains that a teen girl can click on this link to see if parental notification is even required in her state.  The first thing a girl will encounter when she clicks this link is how to skirt around parental notification and consent laws if they are required in her state.

When she scrolls down, she will see that fourteen (including Washington, DC) of the fifty states listed explain that they have “no parental involvement requirement.”  However, for the other thirty-seven, there are requirements of parental notification and/or consent from one or both parents.

Without fail, all thirty-seven states with requirements listed are followed with an explanation that a minor can avoid parental notification and consent requirements.  Most are followed with “a judge can excuse you from this requirement.”  (In three states—Maine, Maryland, and West Virginia— a doctor can excuse a minor from these requirements.)  Only in West Virginia does it specify that a doctor “other than a doctor who will perform the abortion” can excuse a minor from the requirement.

Planned Parenthood is already infamous for covering up statutory rape and assisting minors in obtaining secret abortions without their parents’ knowledge, but is this any surprise when this “pro-family” organization chronically advertises and promotes to teen girls the ease of hiding life-changing and potentially abusive circumstances from their parents?