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Objectives
We defined two indicators of the consequences of abortion restrictions. Parental involvement
laws impact all minors who need abortion by forcing them to either involve a parent
or petition for judicial bypass, which exposes them to risk of abortion denial. We
used the indicators to illustrate the relative size of these groups in Florida and
Texas, large states with parental involvement laws, one expected to maintain and one
expected to eliminate access to clinical abortion care post-Roe.
Methods
Data were official statistics on judicial bypasses and abortions, available publicly
for Texas and by request for Florida. Annually for each state 2018–2021), we expressed
the number of bypass petitions as a percentage of abortions among minors and calculated
the percentage of bypass petitions denied by a judge.
Results
Between 2018 and 2021, the percentage of minors obtaining abortions through a petition
for judicial bypass ranged from 14% to 15% in Florida and 10% to 14% in Texas. The
percentage of judicial bypass petitions denied was 6–13% in Florida and 5–7% in Texas.
Conclusions
Parental involvement laws are in effect in 11 of 25 states expected to continue clinical
abortion care after summer 2022, including Florida. These indicators for all states
could serve surveillance and planning goals. For states like Texas that will completely
ban abortion, the bypass petition percentage indicates minors whose access to abortion
out of state could include needing a bypass. For states like Florida, the denial percentage
indicates the risk of abortion denial for minors forced to travel there for care.
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Copyright
© 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc.
