Reading this snippet from the 2006 Knowles campaign oppo report raises a question.
Does Alaska have a "parental consent" law?(I am not suggesting Bristol Palin would have wanted an abortion. In fact, I seriously doubt it. But if someone is to be lauded for making a
choice it kind of matters whether they actually had a choice under prevailing law.)
Palin Said She Supported a Constitutional Amendment To Enforce Parental Consent Law if Supreme Court Declared it Unconstitutional. Asked if she would support a Constitutional Amendment to overturn the Supreme Court and allow a parental consent law to be enforced if the Alaska Supreme Court declared the parental consent law unconstitutional, Sarah Palin responded, “yes.” Council Voter Guide, 8/22/06]
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On Edit: Got my lazy fingers to use 'the google.' Alaska did indeed have a parental consent law. It was struck down by the Alaska Supreme Court about 6 months before Bristol conceived. So she did have the legal power to make the applauded choice, but only because her mother's opposition to the court decision failed.
Alaska teens can make own abortion decision
3-2 VOTE: State Supreme Court justices say notification is OK.
By SHEILA TOOMEY
[email protected]
Published: November 3, 2007
The Alaska Supreme Court threw out an embattled state law Friday that required parental or judicial consent before a teenager can have an abortion.
In a 3-2 decision, the court said the consent requirement robs a pregnant teen of her constitutional right to make such an important decision herself and transfers that right to her parents or a judge.
However, a law that required parents to be notified of a juvenile daughter's plan to have an abortion would probably be all right, said Chief Justice Dana Fabe in the majority decision for the court. It's a option many other states use, she noted.
As illustrated by the vote, the decision was a close call. Both sides agreed that the state has a compelling interest in protecting juvenile girls against their own immaturity and that parents have a constitutional right -- a duty -- to guide their children. They differed over whether giving parents veto power over a pregnant juvenile's abortion decision went too far.
http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/story/9426719p-9338863c.html