Influential Texts
Maureen, Bellis - Case Brief: Parental Notification of Abortion
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This case brief reviews the constitutionality of Hodgson v. Minnesota and Ohio v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health. The brief includes case background, information on the lower court decisions, the legal issues, and the decision on the issues. The cases found that according to precedent, women (including minors) have a fundamental and constitutional right to an abortion. On the contrary, this right is not absolute. State regulations may be imposed in order to further state interests as long as they do not disrupt fundamental rights. Therefore, state interests may prevent a minor from having an abortion if the state’s interest outweighs the minor’s right to an abortion. In these cases, the majority held that state interest is insufficient to justify a restriction of the minor’s abortion rights. The court held the requirement that both parents be notified of the procedure is unconstitutional due to the burden of the minor’s fundamental rights.
This case brief helped me understand the legal history regarding parental notification and judicial bypasses in Minnesota. Bellis supported the text with precedent by including information about Hodgson v. Minnesota and Ohio v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health. The information in this case brief critical because it will provide a legal standard for future rulings regarding a minor’s right to an abortion.
Steve, Christian - Children of Incarcerated Parents
Imprisonment of parents disrupts the relationships between parents and their children, and has a negative impact on children. Research suggests that preserving a positive family connection can create positive societal benefits such as reduced recidivism, a decrease in intergenerational criminal justice system involvement, and beneficial child development. In 2007, more than 1.7 million children had a parent in either state or federal prison. Most prisoners, in 2007, had at least one child (62% of women in state prison and 56% of women in federal prison, compared to 51% of men in state prison and 63% of men in federal prison). Parental incarceration can affect a child’s mental health, emotional and behavioral well-being, academic performance, family stability, and financial circumstances. Often a substantial number of incarcerated parents were deeply involved in their children’s lives before they were incarcerated, increasing the risk that children will experience a disruption in their living arrangement daily care, and financial circumstance.
This text creates a framework for how children are significantly impacted by parental incarceration. There is a limited amount of research that has been conducted on how children are impacted by parental incarceration. The criminal justice system doesn’t consider how children, parents, and the family unit can be negatively impacted due to imprisonment of a parent. The criminal justice system punishes adults for their crimes, however, it could be argued that the children impacted by parental incarceration are punished as well.
Mitchell Hamline School of Law - The Abortion Decision for Minnesota Minors: Who Decides?
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The law review reflects on the constitutional protections afforded to minors, a teenager’s right to privacy, and the legal stipulations required of minors in order to obtain an abortion in Minnesota. The text critiques the constitutionality of Minnesota’s abortion law and Minnesota statute section 144.343. Under state law minors have not been entitled to the same rights guaranteed to adults under the protection of the constitution; states regulate the activities minors can engage in. The Supreme Court has critiqued the extent of the state’s constitutional power in regards to regulating the conduct of minors, in comparison to the regulatory power the state has over adults.
The laws and statutes in Minnesota regarding parental notification and judicial bypasses are fundamental to consider, when looking at the constitutional protections and the right to privacy in respect to healthcare. This law review provides information in regards to the constitutional protections afforded to minors and a teenager’s right to privacy, and as such is valuable to my work.
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Geraghty’s text references to the Minnesota Supreme Court case Jane Hodgson v. The State of Minnesota. This case explains Minnesota’s parent notification requirements and judicial bypass by reviewing the issue of abortion. This case reflects on the degree that states may restrict the rights of minors under the constitution. The issue that arises in the case includes whether a state may limit a minor’s right to an abortion by requiring parental notification.
Hodgson v. The State of MN gave me knowledge on how minor rights are restricted. In Minnesota, minors are required to receive either parental notification or a judicial bypass for an abortion, rather than consulting with a physician in order to decide if the procedure is suitable for the minor and their situation. This case provides a framework on how minors can be negatively impacted by legislation, and insight on how legislation doesn’t always reflect a minor’s best interest.
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This article describes the impact of birth control and family planning on women’s economic empowerment and educational opportunities, and highlights how birth control has helped to narrow the wage gap. In the absence of legal and accessible birth control women’s incomes would have been 30% smaller in the 1990s. The ability to receive the pill before the age of 21 has been found to be one of the most influential factors for women to continue a higher education by enabling women already in college to stay in college.
This article directly links to the positive impact birth control can have on opportunities for women. The creation of additional economic and educational opportunities for women will promote equality for women. In this article, Planned Parenthood highlights the importance and necessity for women to be provided with affordable, effective, and efficient birth control in order to create societal change by promoting equal opportunities for women.
Diane, Williams - Access to free birth control reduces abortion rates
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A study conducted by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that providing women with free birth control reduces unplanned pregnancies thus reducing the abortion rate. Williams assesses the significant issues of unplanned pregnancies in the study Contraceptive CHOICE Project, in the article. Annually, 50% of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned, about half of these unplanned pregnancies are a result of women not using contraception. The other half of unplanned pregnancies occurs from incorrect or irregular use of contraception. The study conducted at Washington University found that providing women with free contraception reduced unplanned pregnancies and abortions by a range of 62-78%. Jeffery Peipert, MD, PhD, stated that the reduction of unintended pregnancies will be the key to the reduction of abortions.
This text asked me to think critically about the impacts of providing women with affordable, effective, and efficient birth control. On the contrary, this text made me think about the negative effects women may face if they are unable to have access to birth control. Considering how women’s reproductive rights are often challenged in our current political climate it is crucial to invest in women’s reproductive healthcare. Providing women with affordable, effective, and efficient birth control is a fundamental step in providing women with necessary healthcare, and further equality.