THE IMPACT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR PARENTAL CONSENT ON MINORS ABORTIONS IN MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi data for 1993 indicate that the state's new parental conse nt requirement had little effect on the abortion rate among miners. In a comparison of Mississippi residents who had abortions during the fi ve months before and the six months after the law went into effect, th e ratio of miners to adults who sought abortions in the state declined by 13%, a decrease offset by a 32% increase in the ratio of miners to adults who obtained abortions out of state. There was also a 28% drop in the ratio of miners to adults from other states who had abortions in Mississippi. The parental consent requirement increased by 19% the ratio of miners to adults who obtained their procedure after 12 weeks of gestation.