Expert: Pat G - 9/25/2010

Question
QUESTION: Does a pregnant minor child need to be told if the parent chooses to have the abortion pill administered? Is the doctor required to inform the minor child of the parents decision to terminate the pregnancy? Can the doctor prescribe the abortion pill without telling the minor child? I live in the state of Indiana

ANSWER: Hello, laura,

I don't know if you are a parent or a daughter in a situation where an abortion pill might be given to a young woman. However, I will assume for the moment, you are her mother.

I am going to tell you some things that no abortionist will tell a woman before doing an abortion on her, because if he did, he'd go out of business.

PLEASE don't give this to your daughter, with or without her knowledge. You can actually KILL her. These pills are very dangerous. The second pill given is being used against the express instructions of the manufacturer. There are several reasons for this. One is that it can cause a woman to bleed to death. This pill stops the hormone that controls a woman's bleeding. I have actually talked to women who were bleeding heavily and whose lives were in danger, right here on this site. I don't even know if they all survived. Don't take this chance. Your daughter deserves better. Second, these pills can cause a woman's uterus to rupture. Third, these pills can cause a woman to get Toxic Shock Syndrome. This is a massive infection, and once symptoms start, it can kill a woman within hours. I am unaware of any way to save a woman's life at that point, in spite of the most aggressive treatments. In addition, any abortion of a first pregnancy can make a woman much more susceptible to breast cancer, which can strike while a woman is in her 30's or even younger. If you have a history of breast cancer among close relatives, getting breast cancer is a virtual certainty. This type of breast cancer kills 1/4 of its victims. We don't even know what other harm these pills can do at this point. Any abortion can also cause significant emotional problems. The chance of suicide after abortion is increased eight times over what it would be if the woman carried to term. She can also experience homicide or accident, abuse of drugs, alcohol, or herself, sleep and eating disturbances, and promiscuity. I experienced sleep disturbances: horrible, horrible nightmares. No mother who loves her daughter would ever want to subject her daughter to such a thing.

If you are the mother, do you really want to subject your daughter to these risks? Seriously. Think about it.

The daughter has a right to give her informed consent for any medical procedure. She has a right to know what the pills will do, and what the consequences might be. She would also have a right to go after you legally for child abuse if she discovers what you have done. Granted how DIFFICULT a pill abortion is, she'll KNOW there is a problem. A pill abortion takes several days. The woman has to go through labor, and will probably bleed profusely, and may require a hysterectomy to save her life. If that weren't bad enough, the pills only work during a very narrow window, and if given outside that window, they won't cause an abortion but could cause some SERIOUS birth defects, such as microcephaly or small head, with profound mental retardation and frozen facial muscles, which will keep the child from smiling, and foreshortening of limbs (arms and legs much shorter than they should be). If the pill abortion doesn't work, a lot of abortionists will insist on giving a surgical abortion to complete the process. Some abortionists will even knowingly give the pills, knowing the woman is too far along, because they will make money twice from doing the same abortion. If a woman undergoes a surgical abortion, she is at significant risk for problems with future pregnancies. Surgical abortions greatly increase the risk a woman will have a tubal pregnancy, which is a life-threatening condition that requires emergency surgery. They greatly increase the chance a woman will become unable to have children, or experience miscarriages or very early birth. Very early birth is a leading cause of cerebral palsy, epilepsy, mental retardation, autism, blindness, and deafness. Surgical abortions can cause complications at birth, making Caesarian section necessary. Caesarian section is the leading cause of death in childbirth. And a woman will be at risk for emotional problems and breast cancer, as described. Abortion can also make a woman much more likely to develop an auto-immune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or muscular dystrophy.

Another question you need to answer is whether or not you have the money to handle complications. They can be VERY expensive.

Some women seemingly get away with having an abortion, but in the end, the vast majority will discover what harm the abortion has done to them. An abortion ALWAYS harms the woman. Always.

Let's talk about the law of Indiana.

Ind. Code § 16-34-2-1 : Indiana Code - Section 16-34-2-1: Required circumstances of legal abortion

(a) Abortion shall in all instances be a criminal act, except when performed under the following circumstances:
(1) During the first trimester of pregnancy for reasons based upon the professional, medical judgment of the pregnant woman's physician if:
(A) the abortion is performed by the physician;
(B) the woman submitting to the abortion has filed her consent with her physician. However, if in the judgment of the physician the abortion is necessary to preserve the life of the woman, her consent is not required; and
(C) the woman submitting to the abortion has filed with her physician the written consent of her parent or legal guardian if required under section 4 of this chapter.

What this means, is that the consent of BOTH the parents AND the daughter are REQUIRED, and if not obtained, the abortionist is committing a criminal act. As the parent of the daughter, you would be an accomplice.


Ind. Code § 16-34-2-7 : Indiana Code - Section 16-34-2-7: Performance of unlawful abortion; offense

(a) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c), a person who knowingly or intentionally performs an abortion not expressly provided for in this chapter commits a Class C felony.

If Indiana is like some states (which I haven't checked out, but will if you want), you could receive the SAME penalty as the abortionist who gives you the pills. If you get the pills from another source (such as ordering them online), and you administer them, YOU are the abortionist. And you would be practicing medicine without a license, which could get you into even more trouble. These are prescription drugs.

In addition to all of this, you could destroy your relationship with your daughter, destroy any chance she has of ever having children, and as mentioned, outright kill her.

If you are the daughter in this situation, and you are concerned your parents might give you the abortion pill, make sure whatever medication you are being given won't cause abortion, that you know what the medication will do, and check with your doctor. If you think your parents are going to try to cause you to abort without your knowledge, please go to the police.

As the grandmother of two grandchildren born out of wedlock, I will speak to you plainly. I love my grandchildren so much I would do just about anything for them. I have helped in major ways with the two. I also have nine other grandchildren, and there is NO difference in the way I love any of them. Most parents come to love their grandchildren very deeply, regardless of how they were conceived.

I realize that for parents, there is often a lot of shame in revealing to the world that their daughter was sleeping around and got pregnant. The shame doesn't begin to measure up to the cost of doing what you are suggesting. Believe me. Give yourself time to think this through. Seek some counseling. There are organizations in your area that will help you with counseling, and also help your daughter with whatever needs she may have. You can find an organization near you by going to this web site:

http://www.optionline.org/

The link to the lists is on the right, and not very obvious.

Your daughter deserves better than abortion, and so do you. Your daughter is carrying your grandchild, and you have as much of a duty to protect your grandchild as she has to protect her child. I think it should be obvious she would want to protect her child, and you would be going against her wishes. Please don't do this!

I will be here to discuss anything that is on your mind. Please let me know what happens, and keep your daughter safe!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I thank you for your time and concern.  I am neither the daughter or the mother but a good friend trying to help.  I understand the risks at hand and will be sure to pass them along.  I am sure that the question at hand was based on "panic"  once the initial shock wears off I am sure that my very good friend will be a great mother and an even better grandmother is her daughter chooses to have the child.
Thanks for the help!!

Answer
Hello, laura,

I hope the information will be helpful to guide your friend to make a decision about this that she can live with. You are right about the initial shock. This is usually why parents react. The woman herself also has this shock, and may go into a panic, and will often take action she will regret for the rest of her life. I hope your friend will urge her daughter to protect her unborn baby. The kind of bonding that will happen if they become of one accord about protecting the baby is something that it is really hard to duplicate any other way. I speak from experience. You're welcome. Please let me know what happens.