Chester Borrows: Parents 'really need to know'

THE power of one person to change their world can start with the smallest conversation.

During the election campaign, I held a public meeting in Stratford. A mum approached me about a tragic situation involving her daughter, who had been referred for an abortion facilitated by the public health nurse via her school. The parents were not informed and were lied to by the school as to the daughter's whereabouts.

The girl was never counselled post the termination but just dropped off at home. With no knowledge of what had gone on, the parents were left to deal with a sudden irrational change in her behaviour.

They placed themselves on suicide watch and worried their way through this terrible situation. The daughter's behaviour degenerated and involved excessive drinking, anti-social behaviour and self-harm (cutting herself), culminating in a suicide attempt.

It was then that it came out that she had been pregnant as a 15-year-old and the school had arranged intervention by the public health nurse, who had taken her to Family Planning which led, inevitably, to an abortion. The law, as it is perceived in the codes of practice that social workers and medical practitioners operate by, conspired to prevent any notification to the parents.

More bad behaviour followed. There was trouble with the police and court appearances.

My advice at the meeting was to write a petition, signed by family members, asking Parliament to change legislation to make it clear that parents of girls under-16 who get pregnant have the right to know before she is referred for any medical procedure, such as termination. That is not requiring the parents to consent, but just to be aware of the pregnancy.

Opponents to any change are those who wish further liberalisation of the law around terminations. They reckon that many young girls who get pregnant are the victim of incest and abuse, and fear violence if they disclose. Actually, most teenage pregnancy results from sexual relationships with boyfriends or experimentation, and studies show that the most frequent reason girls don't tell their parents about a pregnancy is embarrassment, not fear.

Police and Child, Youth and Family can deal with the abusers with the powers they already have.

Studies also show that minors are unable to make mature decisions around disclosure or consent and many girls are not fully informed of the risks, side-effects and after-effects of an abortion. The second leg of the petition, then, is to ensure that any consent to proceed with an abortion is fully informed.

In an age where families are expected to be responsible and to care for and nurture their children - and the government supports this through social policy and welfare - why would you withhold information from families and let them flounder, and clean up the mess?

The petition, which will gain some prominence in the next few weeks and months, is neither pro- nor anti-abortion. It is about parental notification and informed consent.

If a school wants to give a child Nurofen for a headache, they need the parents' permission. If they take them for pregnancy termination, no permission or even notification is required. What's with that?