I hope that, when Katherine reaches an age where she starts making decisions about sexual activity, that she will consult with Margie and me and let us help her make as rational and moral decisions as any teen can make.
On the other hand, I don’t assume she will. And while I’d really like to know (and counsel) her if she seeks “reproductive health care services,” I certainly don’t want her to be forced by law to get my permission — or such services to be forced by law to turn her away if she doesn’t have Margie or me in tow.
Because, you know what? I honestly don’t think such laws are going to reduce the chance she’ll actually need those services — just reduce the chance that she’ll seek them out. Which will make for even bigger problems than such laws are touted as resolving (assuming, for the sake of argument, that such laws are not as much intended as punitive against “immoral” girls as they are protective of “parental rights”).
Yeppers!