Living Arrangements - Maternity Home

In other posts, we've talked about your pregnant single daughter living with you in your home, with relatives, and with friends. This post looks at maternity homes.

Yes, a few maternity homes actually do still exist! If your home and the home of relatives are not going to work (for whatever reason) during your daughter's pregnancy, she may be able to be admitted into a maternity home. Each maternity home is quite different in their admission requirements, programs offered, and rules, so you'll have to do some research. At the pregnancy resource center, we've provided information about maternity homes to hundreds of pregnant girls who request this information. It seems that few girls actually choose to apply to a maternity home once they see that they will have to do chores, keep their rooms clean, etc., but most maternity homes are full at all times anyway. A maternity home is not a free hotel room with maid service and room service. Some pregnant girls imagine that they will have complete freedom and be away from their family like a vacation, but this is not the case. A maternity home is often a great experience for those who need structure, supervision, and pregnancy counseling. However, please do not force your teen into a maternity home if she does not want to be there: this can cause many more problems in the long run than it solves in the short term.

Here are just a few maternity homes. Use your favorite search engine with the keywords "maternity home" and do some browsing. Or call OptionLine at (800) 395-HELP to see if they can help you find the maternity home nearest you. Note that these listings are for your education only, and in no way imply endorsement. Links and summary information were accurate as of July 2011.

Alabama
Lifeline Village (Pell City, Alabama) offers a residential program for pregnant girls between the ages of 10 and 18 who are making an adoption plan for their child.

Arizona
Jesus Cares Ministries (Chandler, Arizona)
Hope House (Show Low, Arizona)
Maggie's Place (Phoenix, Tempe, Glendale Arizona) for women aged 18 or more.

Arkansas
Hannah House (Fort Smith, Arkansas) for women aged 12-29.
Highlands Maternity Home (Hot Springs, Arkansas)


California
Bishop Gallegos Maternity Home (Fair Oaks, California)
Casa de los Angelitos (Harbor City, California) for women aged 18 or more.
His Nesting Place (Long Beach, California) has room for 22 pregnant women and their children.
St. Anne's (Los Angeles, California)
Bethany's House (Modesto, California) for adoption-minded women aged 18 and over.
Casa Teresa (Orange, California) for pregnant women aged 18 and over.
Toby's House (Orange County, California) has a program for pregnant women aged 18 and older.
Knotts Family Agency (San Bernadino, California) for women age 12-17.
Mary's Shelter (Santa Ana, California)
Villa Majella (Santa Barbara, California)
Siena House (Santa Cruz County, California)
Sarah's House (Simi Valley, California)
Angels Way Maternity Home (Woodland Hills, California) for pregnant women aged 18 and older.
TenderLife Maternity Home (Ventura, California) has a program for pregnant women aged 18 and older.
Moses House Ministries (Victorville, California) for pregnant women up to age 25.

Colorado
New Beginnings (Aurora, Colorado) for pregnant women age 16 or more.
Mary's Choice (Baily, Colorado)
Bridgeway (Lakewood, Colorado) for pregnant teens.
Shannon's Hope Maternity Home (Wheat Ridge, Colorado) has a program for pregnant women aged 16 and older.

Connecticut
St. Agnes Home (West Hartford, Connecticut) for women up through age 18.

Florida
Solve Maternity Homes (Bradenton, Florida)
Lifeline Family Center (Cape Coral, Florida) for teens.
Ronda Coon Maternity Home (Fort Walton Beach, Florida) for pregnant women age 18-24.
Arbor House (Gainesville, Florida)
Divine Mercy House (Jacksonville, Florida) for pregnant women aged 18 and older.
Sunlight Home (Naples, Florida)

BETA Center (Orlando, Florida)
Daybreak Maternity Home (Palm Beach, Florida)
His Caring Place (Pompano Beach, Florida ) for pregnant women between the ages of 12 and 24.
Alpha Omega Miracle Home (St. Augustine, Florida)
Alpha House (Tampa, Florida)

Georgia
The Elizabeth Home (Macon, Georgia)
The Living Vine (Savannah, Georgia)
Georgia Baptist Children's Home


Idaho
Maggie's Place (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) for pregnant women aged 18 or more.
The Shepherd's Inn (Idaho Falls, Idaho) for pregnant women aged 18-26.

Illinois

Angels' Cove (Mount Vernon, Illinois)
Cabrini Maternity Home (Peoria, Illinois) for pregnant women aged 12-21.

Indiana
Hannah House Maternity Home (Bloomington, Indiana)
A Friend's House (Bluffton, Indiana)
Childplace (Jeffersonville, Indiana)
St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities Maternity Home (New Albany, Indiana)

Iowa
Ruth Harbor (Des Moines, Iowa)

Kansas
Bethlehem House (El Dorado, Kansas)
Mary Elizabeth Maternity Home (Hayes, Kansas)

Kentucky
Mercy Maternity Home (Erlanger, Kentucky)
Lifehouse Center (Louisville, Kentucky)

Louisiana
Sellers Maternity Home (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) houses women under the age of 21.

Maine
St Andre Home (Biddeford, Maine)

Maryland
St. Ann's Infant and Maternity Home (Hyattsville, Maryland) has a program for pregnant girls aged 13 - 19.

Massachusetts
My Father's House (North Chelmsford, Massachusetts) 

Michigan
Father Pat Jackson House (Ann Arbor, Michiga)
Hannah's House (Kalamazoo, Michigan)

Minnesota
New Beginnings (St. Cloud, Minnesota)

Mississippi
The Christmas Village (Madison, Mississippi)

Missouri
Lighthouse Maternity Home (Kansas City, Missouri)

Montana
Florence Crittendon Home (Helena, Montana) for women aged 12-21.

Nevada
Saint Jude's Ranch for Children (Boulder City, Nevada) for women aged 10-17.
Southern Nevada Children First (Las Vegas, Nevada). Up to seven young mothers and their babies can stay in the central Las Vegas home associated with Southern Nevada Children First. The two-year program gives 17 to 22-year-old homeless mothers a place to stay and a plan to get on their feet.

New Hampshire
His Mansion: New Beginnings (Hillsboro, New Hampshire)

New Jersey



New York



North Carolina
Angel House Maternity Home (Charlotte, North Carolina) for pregnant women aged 15 and older.
Florence Crittenton Services (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Lois' Lodge Maternity Home (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Save the Babies House of Refuge (Fayetteville, North Carolina)
Room at the Inn of the Carolinas (Kernersville, North Carolina)
Christian Life Home (Raleigh, North Carolina) for women aged 10-23.
The Royal Home (Salemburg, North Carolina)

North Dakota
Saint Gianna Maternity Home (Minto, North Dakota)
The Perry Center (West Fargo, North Dakota)

Ohio
Harbor House (Ohio) offers housing to pregnant girls under the age of 19.
Hannah's Home (northeastern Ohio) for pregnant teens under the age of 18.
Darlene Bishop Home for Life (Monroe, OH) for women aged 18 and older.

Oklahoma
Holy Family Maternity Home (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) for pregnant teens aged 12-17.

Oregon
Grandma's House (Bend, Oregon) for women aged 12-19.
Bethany House (Gresham, Oregon)
Safe Haven Maternity Home (Roseburg, Oregon)

Pennsylvania
House of His Creation (Coatesville, Pennsylvania) for pregnant women between the ages of 12 and 19.
Lourdeshouse Maternity Home (Enhaut, Pennsylvania)
Morning Star Maternity Home (Lansdale, Pennsylvania) for pregnant women between the age of 13 and 25.
Shepherd's Maternity House (East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania)

South Carolina
Butterfly House (Blackville, South Carolina)

Tennessee
New Life Maternity Home (Cleveland, Tennessee)
Hope House (Kingsport, Tennessee)
Mercy Ministries (Nashville, Tennessee)

Texas
Christian Homes & Family Services (Abilene, Texas)
Promise House (Dallas, Texas)

Mercy House (Euless, Texas)
Annunciation Maternity Home (Georgetown, Texas) offers housing to pregnant women over the age of 14.
Hannah House Maternity Home (Glen Rose, Texas)
Lifehouse of Houston (Houston, Texas) for pregnant women age 12-24.
Methodist Mission Home (San Antonio, Texas)
Fatherheart Maternity Home (Tyler, Texas)

Utah



Virginia
Liberty Godparent Home (Lynchburg, Virginia)

Washington
Life Services Maternity Home (near Spokane, Washington) for pregnant teens under the age of 19.

Special Delivery (Woodinville, Washington)


New Beginnings Home in Puyallup provides housing for pregnant women, including those under 18 if parents make a voluntary placement agreement. For information, call Debi Musick at 253-232-7318.

Wisconsin
New Beginnings (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin) for pregnant women age 18 and older.
Marion House (Green Bay, Wisconsin) has a group home for pregnant minors up to age 17, and an apartment building for women aged 18-21.
Gerard Hall (part of Franciscan Skemp Residential Programs) (La Crosse, Wisconsin). 800-362-5454, Ext. 23985 (answered 24/7; ask for Gerard Hall)
Elizabeth House (Madison, Wisconsin)
The Hannah Center (Marshfield, Wisconsin) for pregnant women aged 18-30.
A Place of Refuge (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) for pregnant women age 18 and older.
Seven Sorrows of Our Sorrowful Mother Infant's Home (Necedah, Wisconsin), 800-362-5721.
Genesis House of SE Wisconsin (Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin)
The Linden Cherish Place (Waukesha, Wisconsin) for pregnant women ages 18-21.
Beth-Birei (Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin)

For more posts about housing, click the label "Housing" below. There you'll find posts about your pregnant daughter living in your home, and about her living with relatives. You may find it helpful to read our book "How To Survive Your Teen's Pregnancy" because it discusses the many decisions that you and your pregnant daughter are facing about housing during pregnancy, finishing her education, legal issues, medical issues, skill building and life options after the baby is born.

Living Arrangements: Relatives

Does your pregnant single daughter need to live somewhere besides your own home during her pregnancy? Maybe she needs to get away from the baby's father for her own safety (physical, mental, etc.)? You have a few options to examine carefully, depending on your daughter's age and your resources (financial resources being the primary factor). We discuss these options in chapter 27 "Should She Parent Alone?" of our book "How To Survive Your Teen's Pregnancy: Practical Advice for the Parents of a Christian Pregnant Single".

First, your daughter could go live with someone in your family (her grandparents, aunts & uncles, etc.). Other alternatives will be discussed in separate posts later this week.

Which relatives should you approach with the idea of your daughter staying with them during her pregnancy? There are a lot of factors to discuss, and you'll probably want to have a solid agreement with the other family (maybe even in writing).

For example, the relatives MUST have accessible prenatal care for your daughter. Do the medical practitioners there accept the medical insurance that covers your daughter?

Which relatives are able to provide the level of supervision appropriate for your daughter?

Though the world is rarely ideal, it would be beneficial if the relatives have opportunities that are an improvement over your daughter's current situation: Are there educational opportunities for your daughter that are not available at your own home? Are there part-time jobs available? Is there a pregnancy resource center near their house that can provide pregnancy education, adoption education, parenting education, and peer mentoring?

What rules and privleges will your daughter have to follow at the relatives' house? How will the relatives enforce these? What will be the consequence if your daughter just will not follow the rules?

For example, what rules are there about her access to the Internet, or to the phone? Will she have her own transportation or need to be driven around? What will she need to contribute to household chores or even household expenses? Will your relatives charge rent?

Where will your daughter give birth? When will your daughter return to your home?

Talking about these issues up front will help to avoid misunderstandings and hard feelings later.

For more posts about housing issues, click the label "Housing" below. There you'll find posts about your pregnant daughter living at your home, and about her living in a maternity home, among other topics.

Share with us in the comments (anonymously if you prefer): Has someone in your family housed a pregnant relative? What were the benefits and the hardships? What tips can you share?

A Wakeup Call?

These are quotes from two girls who recently graduated from an alternative school, as seen on the Bradenton, Florida, news website:

At one point, Breoana said she was ready to blow off school, to drop out. Then she got pregnant. "Once I found out that a child was on the way, I had to get my act together," she said. "The world does not revolve around me anymore; it revolves around my son."
Eyela shared a similar story. When she got pregnant, she was on her way to dropping out of school. But she wanted a better life for herself and her daughter.
"I had to raise a child, find day care and go to school," she said. "But I did it."

In previous posts, we've talked about how many pregnant girls drop out of school because they are pregnant. These two girls share that they were already on the way to dropping out of school before they became pregnant. Have you seen this trend in your pregnant daughter, too? Was she skipping school, partying a lot, getting bad grades, or talking about dropping out?

Could your daughter's pregnancy be a wake-up call for her that will help her be determined to get her life together? Talk to your daughter about the stories of these two girls. Has your daughter in the past thought that the world revolved around her? What kind of life does she want for herself and her child in the future?

Help your daughter research the benefits of finishing her high school education, both short-term benefits and long-term benefits. It may be tough to finish school, but she can do it if you all work together and also get any help that is available to you.

We talk about finishing school and many other topics in our book "How To Survive Your Teen's Pregnancy", a book that Christian parents of a pregnant single under the age of 25 will find beneficial as they look at all the decisions their daughter is facing.

Share in the comments section your concerns about your pregnant daughter and her schooling. What dreams about education has your daughter shared with you? You can post anonymously if you prefer.

Make an effort to be more fair

A recent Newsweek article, "Getting Away With It", by Raina Kelley, summarizes research results that show that parents are indeed tougher on firstborns than on younger children. The articles says:

"As a result, the theory predicts that last-born and only children, knowing that they can get away with much more than their older brothers and sisters, are, on average, more likely to engage in risky behaviors," says University of Maryland economist Ginger Jin, one of three coauthors of the study.

This can spell trouble for your younger children as they become teens. The article continues:

As parents, you care about the welfare of your pregnant teenage daughter so you're going to help her out no matter what. You're not going to throw her and the baby out of the house. To a teen that looks like reward not punishment. So if your daughter can predict that you're going to help her, she is less likely to engage in safe behavior... But if there are lots of children in the house and the children aren't perfectly sure what their parents will do, they are much less likely to engage in behavior that will get them punished.

The article says that parents tend to punish older children who are engaging in risky behavior partly to set an example to the younger children, but that by the time the younger children reach that same age parents tend to fix the problem for the child instead of punishing. So make an extra effort with younger children to treat them consistently. If you've been overly harsh with older children, make an extra effort to be more fair instead of simply making examples out of them. Seek Godly counsel about your parenting decisions - there are a number of good parenting skills books out there for every phase of life; talk with your spouse before acting; bounce your ideas and frustrations off of mature Christian friends who can help you see other perspectives.

Obviously we need balance here. In what ways could you show that you love the person, but not their behavior? In what ways can you show that you disapprove of sex outside of marriage, but that you don't want your grandchild aborted? That you love your pregnant daughter, but that there are also consequences to every action in life? If your teen or college-aged daughter is having sex, what consequences have you imposed on her for this risky behavior? Or are you rewarding her for her risky behavior by protecting her from consequences? In what ways are you attempting to help her deal with negative peer pressure, and the influence of friends and media to engage in risky behavior?

Finishing High School

In late April of this year, an article titled "Special Schools for Pregnant Girls?" discussed an alternative school in Boise, Idaho, the Marian Pritchett School. The article discusses, among other things, the apparent trade-off between stronger academics at regular schools, and the possibly weaker academics but bonus special programs of alternative schools, such as classes about business, parenting skills, and family law, and the special accommodations that alternative schools offer pregnant and parenting girls. These special schools often help pregnant girls get a GED (or possibly a diploma) instead of dropping out of school due to pregnancy.

If remaining in her current school, does your daughter have concerns about her safety there? Does she worry, like Alicia Mattocks in the above article, "that bullies might purposely slam her into a locker and that a teacher's rules wouldn't allow frequent bathroom runs"? Talk to her school's administrators and find out what concessions are available for pregnant girls, or those who are parenting. Are there excused absences available so that she can attend her many prenatal care appointments? Will the school allow her to breastfeed her baby at school after birth? or must she pump the milk and store it for later? If she must pump, is there a refrigerator available for milk storage? Brainstorm with your daughter the pros and cons to each of the education options she has available to her. Make a concrete plan of how she will finish her high school education at a minimum.

Facts on Teen Abortion Risks

It may seem that a quick solution to your single daughter's pregnancy is a quiet abortion. But there are some long-term risks you need to talk about. Ask your daughter if she has had an abortion in her past. If so, talk to her about these risks...does she need counseling to help her recovery from the abortion trauma? The following list of risks to teens was published by The Elliot Institute:

• Teenagers are 6 times more likely to attempt suicide if they have had an abortion in the last six months than are teens who have not had an abortion.[1]
  
• Teens who abort are up to 4 times more likely to commit suicide than adults who abort,[2] and a history of abortion is likely to be associated with adolescent suicidal thinking.[1]
  
• Teens who abort are more likely to develop psychological problems,[3] and are nearly three times more likely to be admitted to mental health hospitals than teens in general.[4]
  
• About 40% of teen abortions take place with no parental involvement,[5] leaving parents in the dark about subsequent emotional or physical problems.
  
• Teens are 5 times more likely to seek subsequent help for psychological and emotional problems compared to their peers who carry “unwanted pregnancies” to term.[6]
  
• Teens are 3 times more likely to report subsequent trouble sleeping, and nine times more likely to report subsequent marijuana use after abortion.[6]
  
• Among studies comparing abortion vs. carrying to term, worse outcomes are associated with abortion, even when the pregnancy is unplanned.[6]
  

For more facts on teens and abortion, click here (Adobe Reader required).

Citations

1. B. Garfinkel, et al., “Stress, Depression and Suicide: A Study of Adolescents in Minnesota ,” Responding to High Risk Youth (University of Minnesota: Minnesota Extension Service, 1986)
2. M. Gissler, et. al., “Suicides After Pregnancy in Finland : 1987-94: register linkage study,” British Medical Journal, 313: 1431-1434, 1996; and N. Campbell , et. al., “Abortion in Adolescence,” Adolescence, 23:813-823, 1988.
3. W. Franz & D. Reardon, “Differential Impact of Abortion on adolescents and adults,” Adolescence, 27 (105), 172, 1992.
4. R. Somers, “Risk of Admission to Psychiatric Institutions Among Danish Women Who Experienced Induced Abortion: An Analysis Based on National Report Linkage” (Ph.D. Dissertation, Los Angeles: University of California, 1979, Disseration Abstracts International, Public Health 2621-B, Order No. 7926066)
5. “Teenage Pregnancy: Overall Trends and State-by-State Information,” Report by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, Washington , DC .
6. PK Coleman, “Resolution of Unwanted Pregnancy During Adolescence Through Abortion Versus Childbirth: Individual and Family Predictors and Psychological Consequences,” (2006).

A Generation at Risk

How Teens Are Coerced and Manipulated Into Abortion

by Amy Sobie & David C. Reardon

Editor's Note: The following article is excerpted from the Jan.-March 2000 issue of The Post-Abortion Review.

Gaylene was 14 when she became pregnant. Too embarrassed to go directly to her parents, she turned to her high school guidance counselor for advice. She writes:

[The school counselor] was sympathetic and understanding. He felt there was no need to worry my family. He also explained about having a child, how tough it would be on me and that I wouldn’t be able to do what I wanted to do. He said that the child would suffer because I was much too young to be a parent. He pointed out that the best thing for me to do was to abort the fetus at this stage so no one would be hurt. No mention was made of talking to my parents about this or carrying the baby to term. He indicated that adoption would be difficult and not an option for me.

. . . I felt as though I had no control over what was happening to me. I started to question what I was doing, but in my logic I’d refer back to what the counselor had told me, and then I would think he was right. But still today, I feel like I did not decide to have the abortion.¹

Gaylene’s traumatic reaction to her abortion experience included suicide attempts, alcoholism, drugs, crime, involvement in a cult and a major break with her family.

Sadly, Gaylene’s story is not unique. For teens, the possibility of developing psychological and emotional problems after abortion is substantially higher than for more mature women.² One reason that teenagers are more vulnerable is because their psychological defense mechanisms are not fully developed. Their emotional immaturity leaves them more susceptible to events and circumstances that can profoundly damage their view of the world, other people, and themselves. Consequently, abortion can be especially harmful for teens because this major, traumatic experience occurs at a critical time in the development of their self-identity.³

Researchers have found that teenagers who have abortions face a number of higher risks. For example, teens are more likely to feel pressured into abortion, to report being misinformed in pre-abortion counseling and to experience more severe psychological stress after abortion.⁴ They are also more likely to experience more intense feelings of guilt, depression and isolation after an abortion.⁵ In addition, while suicidal tendencies are higher for all women after abortion, teens are at an even greater risk for post-abortion suicide.⁶

Further, a study of teens with "unwanted" pregnancies found that teens who aborted were more likely to have subsequent trouble sleeping, to report using marijuana after abortion and to undergo treatment for psychological and emotional problems compared to those who carried to term.⁷

Deception and Misinformation

Many teens are simply not mature enough to understand the information they need to make such a life-impacting choice. As a result, in many cases they are not able to freely consent to an abortion.

Even some pro-abortion groups have acknowledged that teenagers need extra guidance when it comes to abortion. For example, a Planned Parenthood counseling guide stated that teenagers have few or limited problem solving skills; are more likely than adults to lack responsibility; are more vulnerable; are more anxious and distrustful; are lacking in knowledge; and have difficulty in communicating. As a result, “counselors need to be aware of and appreciate the fact that pregnancy counseling with teenagers can be very different from counseling adults . . . pregnancy counseling with teens is often a crisis situation.”⁸

Unfortunately, while Planned Parenthood counselors recognize the vulnerability of teens, they oppose laws that would give the parents of teens the opportunity to help them understand the risks of and alternatives to abortion. For counselors who seek to promote abortion as the best or even only solution, keeping teens away from loved ones who would counsel against abortion is an important part of maximizing their own influence.

This is why so many teens feel under such immense pressure to abort. Over and over, women who had abortion as teenagers use phrases like the following to explain how they ended up having an unwanted abortion.

My school counselor (Planned Parenthood counselor, teacher, pastor, boyfriend’s mom, etc.) told me that if I didn’t want my parents to find out, I would have to have an abortion . . .

My boyfriend threatened me if I didn’t abort.

Everyone told me I was too young to have a baby and that my only alternative was abortion.

Pressure to abort can also include coercion, emotional blackmail and violence from a sexual predator or even parents who want to make sure their daughter has an abortion.⁹

In addition, a secret abortion always disrupts family relationships. To protect their secret, teenagers must be constantly on the alert against any evidence or mood that may invite unwanted questions. They must hide feelings of depression, sadness, and even thoughts of suicide that might otherwise alert their parents to the problem. If they cannot repress these feelings, the source must remain hidden or their emotions transformed into anger and rebellion. This overarching need for secrecy accentuates their feelings of shame and will often lead to withdrawal from family intimacy and excursions into drugs, alcohol and destructive relationships.

Any of these problems can dramatically exacerbate normal family tensions. Kept in the dark, parents cannot know that their child is struggling to cope with his or her abortion experience. With no frame of reference for understanding their child’s disturbed behavior, parents are likely to become increasingly frustrated at being held at a distance. In turn, the parents’ frustrations are likely to fuel the distrust or rebellious nature of the teen because they “simply don’t understand” what he or she is going through.

Targeting Teens

Unfortunately school counselors, social workers and others in positions of authority can exert tremendous influence over a vulnerable teenager, steering and even coercing her into an unwanted abortion.

For example, William Hickey, a high school guidance counselor in Hatboro , Pennsylvania , was sued by the parents of a 16-year-old girl for circumventing the state’s parental consent law by arranging for the teen to have a secret abortion in New Jersey . The girl’s parents, Howard and Marie Carter, subsequently filed a lawsuit against Hickey and the Hatboro-Horsham school district, charging that Hickey pressured their daughter to have an abortion despite her expressed doubts and beliefs against abortion.

The Carters said that Hickey “engaged in a course of conduct which was inherently coercive, was intended to and did exert undue influence upon [a minor], and ensured that she refrain from discussing with her parents her pregnancy and whether to obtain an abortion.” They said that when their daughter told Hickey she had doubts about undergoing an abortion, he told her, “Someday you’ll look back on this and laugh.”

The lawsuit also stated that school officials refused to cooperate when asked to investigate the situation. Instead, the Carters say they were told that the school district “has deep pockets” to defend itself from a lawsuit. The case was eventually settled out of court.⁹

Other examples of manipulation and coercion abound. In 2002, a judge found Planned Parenthood negligent for failing to report the case of an abortion performed on a 13-year-old girl who was being sexually abused by her foster brother. The 23-year-old man took the girl to a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in 1998, but Planned Parenthood did not notify authorities until the girl returned six months later for a second abortion. A lawsuit alleged that the girl was subjected to repeated abuse and a second abortion because Planned Parenthood failed to notify authorities of possible abuse when she had her first abortion. Her abuser was sentenced to five years in prison and lifetime probation.¹⁰

Conclusion

Unfortunately, there are few safeguards currently in place to protect teenagers from coerced abortions. As we pointed out in a previous issue, in states where parental consent is needed for an abortion, the judicial bypass system is seriously flawed.

Without a mechanism to provide for cross-examination of witnesses and the introduction of witnesses who would testify that the abortion is not in the girl’s best interests, how can judges make an informed decision? How can we be sure that the adults seeking permission for the young girl to abort without notifying her parents are not themselves manipulating or pressuring the girl to choose abortion?

In addition, as the Carter case discussed above demonstrates, even in states that require parental consent, it is all too easy for those pushing abortion to simply transport the girl across the state line. The Child Custody Protection Act would make it a federal crime for anyone except a parent or legal guardian to take a girl out of state for an abortion in order to avoid involvement in the situation by the girl’s parents.

Even this will only protect a few teens, however. Sadly, in many cases it is the parents who are pressuring or coercing their teenage daughters into abortion. Planned Parenthood, however, is remarkably silent regarding the problem of protecting teens from pressure or manipulation by parents who favor abortion. The only way to protect these teens is to pass laws that will make abortionists liable for failing to protect women, especially teens, from coerced abortions.

~~~

Originally published in The Post-Abortion Review 8(1) Winter 2000. Copyright 2000 Elliot Institute.

Citations

1. Reardon, D., Aborted Women, Silent No More ( Springfield , IL : Acorn Books, 2002) 37-38.
2. Rue, V. & Speckhard, A, “Post Abortion Trauma: Incidence & Diagnostic Considerations,” Medicine & Mind, 6: 57-75 (1991).
3. Deutsch, M., “Personality Factors, Self-Concept, and Family Variables Related to First Time and Repeat Abortion-Seeking Behavior in Adolescent Women.” Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Washington , D.C. : American University , 1982.
4. Franz, W. & Reardon, D., “Differential Impact of Abortion on Adolescents & Adults,” Adolescence, 27(105):162-172.
5. Biro, F., Wildey, L., Hillard, P., & Rauh, J., “Acute and Long-Term Consequences of Adolescents Who Choose Abortions,” Pediatric Annals, 15(10):667-672 (1986).
6. Mika Gissler, Elina Hemminki, Jouko Lonnqvist, "Suicides after pregnancy in Finland : 1987-94: register linkage study," British Medical Journal 313:14314, 1996; Campbell, N., Franco, K. & Jurs, S., “Abortion in Adolescence,” Adolescence, 23:813-823 (1988).
7. PK Coleman, “Resolution of Unwanted Pregnancy During Adolescence Through Abortion Versus Childbirth: Individual and Family Predictors and Psychological Consequences,” (2006).

8. Saltzman, L. & Policar, M., The Complete Guide to Pregnancy Testing and Counseling (Alameda, CA: Planned Parenthood, 1985) 113-114.

9. For more examples, see the book Giving Sorrow Words.
9. "Settlement announced in Pennsylvania Teen Abortion Case," press release from the American Center for Law & Justice, March 15, 2000.

10. "Planned Parenthood Found Negligent in Reporting Molested Teen's Abortion," Pro-Life Infonet, Dec. 26, 2002.