Date

Name and address of the Represenative/Senator

Dear Representative/Senator:

I am writing you regarding Pennsylvania's parental consent laws.  As a registered voter in your district, I am concnerned about the effect these laws have on teenage girls in our state.

There are numerous problems with these laws.  First, they can cause a health risk to young women by delaying the amount of time it takes forthem to recieve an abortion.  According to a study conducted by Planned Parenthood, parental involvement laws delay the time it takes for a yougn woman to get an abortion,thereby also increasing the health risk to her.  Additionally, a young woman who needs parental consent for an abortion may have to face physical or verbal abuse.  She may even be kicked out of her home.  Such laws also make a young woman more likely to receive an illegal abortion, tus increasing the risk of permanent health problems or even death.  For these reasons and more, parental involvement laws are opposed by numerous professional medical assocations, such as the American Medical Assocation and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

From a legal prospective, parental consent laws are very hypocritical.  The state of Pennsylvania already allows for young woman to receieve care for Sexually Transmitted Diseases and receive pre-natal care without parental consent.  Legally, a young woman in Pennsylvania may consent to sexual intercourse atthe age of 16.  However, despite these laws already standing, a woman may not choose to have an abortion without parental consent until she is 21.  How is it that a minor may legally receiveve pre-natal care, medical treatment and consent to sex, yet the state does not give her the legal right to terminate that pregnancy if she so chooses?

I hope that you will consider cosponsering legislation to repel these unjust laws.  Clearly, for the good of young women everywhere, as well as the state of Pennsylvania, such laws should be repealled.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
 
 

Your name