Do Laws Requiring Parental Involvement to Obtain an Abortion Help Reduce STIs Among Minors?

A competing theory of teen reproductive behavior argues that teens give little consideration to the costs of an unwanted pregnancy when deciding to have sex. Under this model, changes in laws that alter the price of accessing reproductive health services have little effect on sexual activity. It is only after an act of unprotected intercourse or contraceptive failure—when faced with an unwanted pregnancy or with the possibility of one—that teens consider the cost of their behavior. Under this assumption, the introduction of a PI law would not cause a change in teens’ sexual behavior and therefore would not lead to a change in the risk of STDs. states have laws that have been found unconstitutional and are permanently enjoined; and one state has a law that is temporarily enjoined (Guttmacher Institute 2011).