Paxton Defends Parental-Notice for Minors Seeking Abortions
Office of the Texas Attorney General
AUSTIN (News Release) – Attorney General Ken Paxton joined a 19-state coalition defending parental-consent statutes for minors seeking an abortion. This brief was filed in the United States Supreme Court after the Chicago-based Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit blocked a law requiring parents to receive notice when their child decides to have an abortion without parental consent.
“As the Supreme Court has previously recognized, nurturing his or her child is ‘high duty’ of any parent. Never is this parental duty of custody, care, and guidance more necessary than when minors make the irrevocable, life-altering decision to have an abortion,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Texans traditionally respect and uphold parents’ right to raise their children as they see fit, and the Seventh Circuit has repeatedly upheld these ideals in previous opinions but failed to do so here. The Supreme Court now has a chance to restore parental liberty and the wellbeing of minors while giving parents room to teach and guide their children.”
This is the second time that the case has reached the Supreme Court. Last time, the Court asked the Seventh Circuit to reconsider its holding in light of its decision last year in June Medical LLC v. Russo. Nonetheless, the lower court applied the exact same reasoning to strike down a parental-consent statute. This repeated error has created great uncertainty for States in crafting public policy in this vital area.
Read a copy of the amicus brief here.