Can Your Teen Have an Abortion Without You Knowing?

It is an unfortunate fact that many teens who become pregnant never tell their parents. Many teen mothers have hid their pregnancy from their families and even from their friends and other people they come in contact with. Some teens have gone through their entire pregnancy without ever telling anyone.

This is a difficult thing to go through alone, especially as a teenager but the sad truth is that many teenagers are afraid to tell their parents. It is also a fact that in many states within the United States, a teenager can have an abortion without her parent's consent. In other states, the teenager can bypass parental consent and terminate the pregnancy on her own if she obtains court approval. In still other states, the teenager can bypass parental approval if she obtains permission from another family member.

What can you do about this if you are the parent of a teenager?

1. The first step is to make yourself familiar with the laws of your state. (See the end of this article for a state-by-state listing).

2. The second step is to communicate with your child and let her know how you feel about pregnancy and what she should do if she fears she may be pregnant. You should also do your best to encourage pregnancy prevention in your teen.

3. The third step is to be open and understanding with your child so that in the unfortunate event that she finds herself in this situation, she will come to you and not hide it.

Sadly, many teenagers become pregnant and do not tell their parents out of fear. Most parents say, "My child would tell me, I'm sure of it!" and while you may tell your child that it's okay to tell you anything, if you don't show them in your actions that you can be accepting, they may still fear telling you.

Part of your job as a parent is also to try to keep an eye out for the signs of pregnancy- although this is not always easy with teenagers that may try to hide things from their parents.

What can you do if you are a pregnant teen?