Utahns support parental-consent bill

Although only eight such requests have been made in the past two years, most Utahns believe minor girls should no longer be able to sidestep parental consent by getting a confidential court order for an abortion, a new Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll shows.

A bill that would remove the court approval option and force a girl to notify her parents or legal guardian even if she is claiming she is being abused at home is coming before the Legislature this session.

The context of that debate could be altered somewhat by news Thursday that the number of abortions in the United States is at its lowest level since 1974.

Figures released by the widely cited Guttmacher Institute show that abortions are down 25 percent since 1990 when they reached an all-time high of 1.6 million.

The institute's surveys are regarded by abortion advocates and opponents alike as the country's most comprehensive.

According to the Guttmacher data, the number of abortions declined by 8 percent between 2000 and 2005 — to 1.21 million from 1.31 million. The abortion rate of 19.4 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 was down 9 percent from 2000.

A decline in abortions nationwide doesn't alter the steps Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, wants to take in tightening parental controls when a minor is seeking an abortion.

Utah already has one of the lowest abortion rates in the country, and the goal is unless a pregnancy is the result of incest or will clearly puts the mother's health at risk, an abortion should be prohibited, Sandstrom said.

He has the support of most Utahns: Nearly 70 percent of those surveyed in the poll favor no longer allowing a girl to bypass her parent or guardian, and only 26 percent strongly oppose tightening the law. The poll of 413 Utah residents was conducted Jan. 8-10 and has a margin of error of 5 percent.

"I don't think any of us would like to be held to a decision we made as young teens," Sandstrom said. "This is one of the most life-altering decisions anyone could face, and it's just too important not to have the parents or guardian involved."

A state that so strongly believes in parental consent and control in families should require it before a young woman makes such a critical decision — one that involves both the mother and her infant, Sandstorm said.