Young Women's Experiences Obtaining Judicial Bypass for Abortion in Texas.

Autor: Coleman-Minahan K; College of Nursing, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Colorado; University of Colorado Population Center (CUPC), University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado. Electronic address: kate.coleman-minahan@ucdenver.edu., Stevenson AJ; University of Colorado Population Center (CUPC), University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado; Department of Sociology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado., Obront E; School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas., Hays S; Law Office of Susan Hays, P.C., Austin, Texas.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine [J Adolesc Health] 2019 Jan; Vol. 64 (1), pp. 20-25. Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Sep 06.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.07.017
Abstrakt: Purpose: Like many states, Texas requires parental consent for adolescents under 18 to access abortion care. Adolescents who cannot obtain parental consent can try to obtain a judicial bypass of parental consent through the court system. Little is known about adolescents' experiences with the judicial bypass process. Working with Jane's Due Process, an organization providing legal representation for adolescents, we explored adolescents' experiences with the judicial bypass process.
Methods: We conducted phone interviews with 20 adolescents, 16-19 years old in Texas between September and December 2016 about their experiences trying to obtain a judicial bypass. Data analysis included inductive and deductive coding based on theories about engaging with the court system and stigma regarding abortion and adolescent sexuality.
Results: In addition to unpredictability and logistic burdens such as finding time away from school and arranging transportation, participants described the bypass process as "intimidating" and "scary" and described judges and guardians-ad-litem who shamed them, "preached" at them, and discredited evidence of their maturity. Data suggest adolescents internalize stigma and trauma they experienced through rationalizing both the need for the bypass process and disrespectful treatment by authority figures.
Conclusions: We found the bypass process functions as a form of punishment and allows state actors to humiliate adolescents for their personal decisions. The bypass process was implemented to protect adolescents from alleged negative emotional consequences of abortion, yet our results suggest the bypass process itself causes emotional harm through unpredictability and humiliation. Despite participants' resilience, the process may have negative consequences for adolescent health.
(Copyright © 2018 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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