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Teenage Abortion

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Teenage Abortion and How Parental Involvement Affects Risk
Kenneth F. Cyrus

Over the past several decades, the issue of abortion has evoked controversy, hostility and even violence. The church, State and special interest organizations expound on the pros and cons of abortion rights. Often these abortion rights are fueled by moral, ethical, religious and legal arguments both in favor of Right to Life, as well as Pro-Choice. The issues become more complex where abortion involves a teenager, as the teenager's rights vs. parental involvement contributes to the hot debate on who has the legal right to choose. The woman has every right to decide whether she wants to carry the pregnancy to full term or to have an abortion. However, since unprotected sex results in unplanned pregnancy, parents should have a say in abortion decision.

The physical health risk of abortion is very low when done in the early stages of pregnancy and in qualified abortion clinic. Ninety Seven percent of women who have abortion in their first trimester have no complications, and the risk for adolescents is low if done in the first trimester. (O'Keeffe & Jones.) The physical risks of abortion for teens is greater than that of their adult counterpart because teens have a longer approval process that increase the risk of the abortion been done in the second trimester. If the parents are a part of the decision then the approval process maybe shorter, eliminating the complications associated with late term abortions. Early term abortion carries less risk for physical health issues and reduces the potential for pregnancy related health issues that can occur while waiting for the abortion decision. The higher risk of health issues for teens exists since they will often seek alternative medical services due to legal and confidentiality issues. Waiting longer and having abortions performed in

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