Sexual Health Birth Control When Birth Control Fails Abortion Laws for Teens by State By Denise Witmer Denise Witmer Denise Witmer is a freelance writer and mother of three children, who has authored several books and countless articles on parenting teens since 1997. Learn about our editorial process Updated on January 29, 2021 Fact checked Verywell Health content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by James Lacy Fact checked by James Lacy LinkedIn James Lacy, MLS, is a fact-checker and researcher. James received a Master of Library Science degree from Dominican University. Learn about our editorial process Print Image Source / Getty Images Parents typically do not want to imagine their teens having an abortion, but hundreds of thousands of teen girls become pregnant every year in the United States, and most of those pregnancies are unplanned. While no state requires parental consent for contraception, the abortion laws for teens vary greatly by state. Some states require parental notification, others require consent, and some states don't require any type of parental involvement.Most states have special provisions for teens who experience medical problems and for those who have become pregnant as a result of incest or sexual abuse. According to the CDC, teen pregnancies have sharply declined sharply over the past decade thanks to increased campaigns aimed at educating young people about birth control. But, the United States still has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the industrialized world. Here are the current abortion laws for teens by location. Alabama Requires parental consent from one parent.Allows minor to bypass parent's consent by obtaining a court approval. Alaska No parental involvement requirement. Arizona Requires parental consent from one parent.Allows minor to bypass parent's consent by obtaining a court approval. Arkansas Requires parental consent from one parent.Allows minor to bypass parent's consent by obtaining a court approval. California No parental involvement required. Colorado Requires one parent be notified of the decision 48 hours before the abortion.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval.If the minor lives with an adult relative other than a parent, the adult relative may be informed of the abortion instead of the parent. Connecticut No parental involvement required. Delaware Requires one parent, grandparent, or mental health professional be told of the minor's decision 24 hours before the abortion when the girl is under the age of 16. Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) No parental involvement required. Florida Requires one parent be notified 48 hours before the abortion. Parents do not have to consent.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. Georgia Requires one parent be notified 24 hours before the abortion. Parents do not have to consent.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. Hawaii No parental involvement required. Idaho Requires one parent give permission for the abortion.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining court approval. Illinois Requires one parent, step-parent who lives in the home, or grandparent be notified 48 hours before the abortion.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining court approval. Indiana Requires parental consent from one parent.Allows minor to bypass parent's consent by obtaining a court approval. Iowa Requires parent or grandparent be notified 48 hours before the abortion.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. Kansas Requires both parents give permission for an abortion. If parents are separated or divorced, only the parent with custody needs to give permission. Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. Kentucky Requires parental consent from one parent.Allows minor to bypass parent's consent by obtaining a court approval. Louisiana Requires parental consent from one parent.Allows minor to bypass parent's consent by obtaining a court approval. Maine No parental involvement required. Maryland Requires one parent be told of the decision. If the minor does not live with either parent and reasonable effort to give notice is unsuccessful, permission can be granted.Allows doctors to excuse the requirement. Massachusetts Requires parental consent from one parent.Allows minor to bypass parent's consent by obtaining a court approval. Michigan Requires parental consent from one parent.Allows minor to bypass parent's consent by obtaining a court approval. Minnesota Requires parental notification of both parents 48 hours before the abortion. Parents do not have to consent.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. Mississippi Requires parental consent from both parents. If parents are separated or divorced, only the parent with primary custody needs to give permission. Allows minor to bypass parent's consent by obtaining a court approval. Missouri Requires parental consent from one parent, and in some cases your other parent might need to be notified. Allows minor to bypass parent's consent by obtaining a court approval. Montana Consent policy is temporarily enjoined, or prohibited, by court order. Nebraska Requires parental consent from one parent.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. Nevada No parental involvement required. New Hampshire Requires one parent be notified of the decision 48 hours before the abortion.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining court approval. New Jersey No parental involvement required. New Mexico No parental involvement required. New York No parental involvement required. North Carolina Requires parental consent from one parent, or a grandparent with whom the minor has resided with for at least six months, to give permission for the abortion.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. North Dakota Requires parental consent from both parents.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. Ohio Requires parental consent from one parent, step-parent, grandparent, or sibling age 21 or older.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. Oklahoma Requires parental notification of one parent 48 hours in advance and the parent has to give consent. Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. Oregon No parental involvement required. Pennsylvania Requires parental consent from one parent.Allows minor to bypass parent consent by obtaining a court approval. Rhode Island Requires parental consent from one parent.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. South Carolina Requires parental consent from one parent or grandparent for girls under age 17.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. South Dakota Requires parental notification 48 hours before the abortion.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. Tennessee Requires parental consent from one parent.Allows minor to bypass parent’ consent by obtaining a court approval. Texas Requires parental consent from one parent. One parent must be told of the decision 48 hours before the abortion.Allows minor to bypass parent consent by obtaining a court approval. Utah Requires one parent be notified 24 hours before the abortion and one parent must give consent.Allows minor to bypass parent consent by obtaining a court approval but that parent must be notified.A judge may excuse the minor from notifying a parent if the minor only has one parent and that parent has been abusive and a doctor has reported the abuse to the appropriate authorities. Additionally, a minor may be excused from this requirement if a parent has failed to take responsibility for the minor's care. Vermont No parental involvement required. Virginia Requires consent from one parent, grandparent, or adult sibling with whom the minor lives.One parent, grandparent, or adult sibling with whom the minor lives must be notified 24 hours before the abortion.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. Washington No parental involvement required. West Virginia Requires one parent be notified 24 hours before the abortion.A judge or doctor can excuse the minor from this requirement. Wisconsin Requires one parent, foster parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or sibling who is at least 25 years old give permission for the abortion.Allows minor to bypass parent by obtaining a court approval. Wyoming Requires parental notification 48 hours before the abortion and the parent must consent.Allows minor to bypass parental consent by obtaining a court approval. Prevent Unplanned Pregnancy Have frequent conversations with your teen about difficult subjects, like sex and birth control. Providing facts, as well as information about your values, can influence your teen's decisions. Although studies show teens are influenced by the media, their parents still have the biggest influence over them when it comes to issues like abortion. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 4 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Planned Parenthood. Parental consent and notification laws. Guttmacher Institute. Parental involvement in minors' abortions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About teen pregnancy. Altshuler AL, Gerns Storey HL, Prager SW. Exploring abortion attitudes of US adolescents and young adults using social media. Contraception. 2015 Mar;91(3):226-33. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2014.11.009 Additional Reading Guttmacher Institute: Teens