Two cents: Let's be consistent here.

Let's face it: in this country, minors don't have a whole lot of rights. Sure, they're entitled to free speech and all, but aside from a few basic rights, minors just aren't considered adults. Instead of making their own lifestyle choices, whether it's choosing to accept aspirin from the school nurse or choosing to watch an R-rated film, parents are the ones making these decisions. Or at least consenting to these decisions. Or at least being notified of these decisions. From tattoos to piercings to just being allowed to go on a field trip to medical treatments-

Oops. Wait a second. Did I just say "medical treatments"? Yeah, kids can't make their own decisions about their health... except in the case of abortion.

Hold on there. It doesn't matter who you talk to: abortion is a sensitive issue. It's a controversial issue, with a lot of unknowns. That's not even acknowledging the overall seriousness of abortion itself. It's not about some school nurse being allowed to put on a band-aid for a student's cut without notifying the parents. Abortion is a surgically invasive treatment, with major physical, emotional, and psychological implications for the mother. As a nation, we can't even agree if the fetus inside the mother is just a fetus, or if it is indeed an unborn life. With all of these major factors in mind, I think we can agree that abortion is definitely a serious matter, as both a political and a personal issue.

And yet, the greater irony is that what with all of the slightly pettier activities that minors need permission/consent/notification for, whether it's just watching sexual congress on a television screen or punching a hole through an ear, teenage mothers are completely at liberty to decide as they will about abortion.

I'm sorry, but that is just plain inconsistent and hypocritical. I fully support the woman's right to choose, but considering the fact that teenage mothers really aren't considered adult "women" but are relegated the label of "minors," I really do think that abortion is another one of those things that should definitely be included under the "parental-notification" category.