It is ironic that although a teenager must obtain parental consent for a procedure as minor as having her ears pierced, for she risks her life (as well as that of her unborn child) and obtains an abortion, no parental notification required. If an adolescent girl, due to her immaturity and inexperience in decision-making, cannot enroll in the school of her choice without the signature and consent of her parents, how can anyone be expected for her to independently make a decision on a question as serious as whether to obtain an abortion?Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay It is also strikingly ironic that the same parents who would be required by law to provide extensive financial and medical assistance to the child, if the abortion went wrong and left her, say, paralyzed or in a coma and the same parents who might be required by law to provide for an infant born to their child (if the adolescent did not choose to have an abortion), these same parents are not themselves protected by the law to help the child decide whether to even carry the infant to term. Parental consent or notification should be required for abortions involving minors. Studies have indicated that the effects of abortion on adolescents are greater than on adults (Gillham, 1997). These procedures are very risky for any woman. Complications for the mother occur in one of four legal adult abortions; among adolescents, the risk increases significantly, to one in three. Additionally, the fact that 2 to 5 percent of abortions result in infertility may not bother a woman in her 30s, but it could have devastating effects on a young adolescent's relationships and future plans for marriage. marriage (Gillham). It is therefore not unreasonable to say that parents would protect their children from irreparable pain and harm. Contrary to public opinion, safe abortion does not exist. Approximately 258 physical complications can occur during an induced abortion, including hemorrhage; shock; brain damage; sepsis; cerebral, cardiac or pulmonary embolism (Gall, 1992). According to a study on induced abortions among adolescents, published by the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, adolescents experience profound psychological effects after abortion (SSWUC, 1995). Severe depression, crying spells, mass social withdrawal, and even suicide, among other symptoms, have been cited as directly linked to teenage abortion. No parent would want to see their daughter in this state of mind. In one way or another, parents are involved in the financial problems that arise from teenage abortions. For example, a minor child had an illegal abortion two days ago. His parents were not informed. The minor child begins to have complications following the abortions, medical attention is then necessary. She was rushed to the hospital, and while she was there, the parents were asked what had happened. They can't answer because they don't know what happened to their child. Now, because the child is a minor, the parents have to pay the hospital bills. Therefore, the same parents who are held responsible for the financial obligations incurred deserve to be informed when an important decision regarding their minor child, to abort, is made. A, 1992).