Impact of Parental Notification on Illinois Minors Seeking Abortion

Purpose To describe the impact of the Illinois Parental Notification of Abortion Act on minors presenting for first-trimester abortion at an urban clinic in Chicago, Illinois. Methods Descriptive, retrospective review looked at minors obtaining a first-trimester abortion at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital Reproductive Health Services during the 12 months prior (August 15, 2012–August 14, 2013) and after (August 15, 2013–August 14, 2014) the Illinois Parental Notification Act was in effect. Young women, ages 18–21 years, unaffected by the law, served as the control group. Results Before the law, 320 minors of a total of 5,505 patients (5.8%) obtained a first-trimester abortion and after the law went into effect, 311 minors of a total of 6,311 patients (4.9%) obtained an abortion. This constituted a 2.8% decrease in procedures among minors before and after the law went into effect ( p = .003). However, this decrease was not significant when compared to an 8.8% growth in procedures among the control group, ages 18–21 years ( p = .079). Among minors, there was no difference in race/ethnicity, age, and mean gestational age at the time of abortion before and after the law ( p = .189, p = .116, and p = .961). There was a trend toward a larger decline in the youngest minors, aged 12–15 years and in those with at least one prior abortion. Conclusions The impact of a parental notification law on minors at an urban, public clinic is unclear. The 3% decrease warrants further study of both teen pregnancy rates and legislative barriers to minors' abortion access.