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Parenthood Of Central Missouri V. Danforth

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Although Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth recognized that the constitutional protection against unjustified state intrusion into the process of deciding whether or not to bear a child extends to pregnant minors, minors’ abortion rights have been circumscribed by parental notification and consent requirements. Early Supreme Court precedent like Danforth and Bellotti v. Baird justified circumscribing minors’ abortion rights in this way by appealing to the particular vulnerability of children, the importance of the parent-child relationship, and—most notably, for the purposes of this paper—children’s immaturity of judgment. In those early cases, the court provided little to no empirical support for the broad claim that …show more content…

Does accepting Roper compel acceptance of Bellotti and the parental notification laws that came in its wake?
In this paper, I argue that Roper can be reconciled with adult-like reproductive rights for pregnant minors. To do so, I will draw two useful distinctions. First, I distinguish between the psychological competencies that a minor draws upon when engaging in criminal conduct versus when deciding whether to abort or carry a pregnancy to term. Although minors are immature in ways that render them less culpable for their criminal behavior, they are mature in ways that render them capable of making autonomous decisions about their pregnancies, including the decision to abort. Second, I highlight the differences between the decision-making contexts at issue. While decisions to engage in criminal conduct are often made in circumstances that elicit impulsivity, emotional arousal, and social coercion, decisions to obtain an abortion are more generally made in circumstances that allow for unhurried, logical reflection. This more nuanced account of juvenile decision-making competencies and their relevance to particular decision-making contexts can provide the basis for a more coherent body of children’s rights law.
DISCUSSION
I. Minors’ Circumscribed Reproductive

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