Reply #12: It's a new version of the Fugitive Slave Law

[noonwitch]

It goes to show you that the abortion argument is not really about the individual state's right to decide in the conservative mind, it's about the federal government taking sides.

What if the kid leaves the state by herself to seek an abortion in a state that doesn't have parental consent laws. Let's say that kid stays with a relative who resides in that state, and that relative accompanies her to the abortion clinic for the procedure. Is that adult still going to be charged in the girl's home state, even though he or she never crossed a state line, thus has not violated the letter of the law, but has violated the spirit of that law.

I actually support parental consent laws, in principle. I just think that other family members (aunts, uncles, adult siblings) should be able to sign the consent if the kid is afraid of her parents. But a child should not undergo surgery without a concerned adult's consent.