SEATTLE — The mother of a Seattle high school student reacted angrily after she learned that an on-campus health clinic helped her daughter obtain an abortion during academic hours. The Ballard (High School) Teen Health Center provided the 15-year-old girl with a pass and a taxi cab ride to have the abortion, according to a report by KOMO-TV, Seattle’s ABC affiliate. The clinic did not disclose the girl’s pregnancy or the abortion to her mother.
The mother, identified as “Jill” in the TV station’s March 23 report, said she had signed a consent form for health care at the campus clinic but did not realize that meant the clinic could help her daughter get an abortion without her knowledge. “Jill” said her daughter is pro-life. “She took a pregnancy test at school at the teen health center,” the mother said, KOMO reported. “Nowhere in this paperwork does it mention abortion or facilitating abortion.
“We had no idea this was being facilitated on campus. They just told her that if she concealed it from her family, that it would be free of charge and no financial responsibility. Makes me feel like my rights were completely stripped away,” the mother said.
The consent form signed by parents whose children use such school health centers says students “may independently access reproductive-health care at any age,” but it does not specify abortion as part of such care, according to The Seattle Times. The phrase “reproductive health care” is often understood by abortion-rights advocates and pro-life supporters to include abortion services, however.
Washington does not have a state law requiring parental notification or consent before a minor undergoes an abortion.
Share with others: