SECTION: METRO, Pg. W-3, THINK TANK

LENGTH: 844 words

HEADLINE: CONSENT TO ABORT;
MOST TEEN PANELISTS SAY MINORS WHO BECOME PREGNANT HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO;
INFORM THEIR PARENTS

BYLINE: LYNDA GUYDON TAYLOR

BODY:


Discussing abortion ignites debate faster than you can say Supreme Court. Explosive doesn't begin to define the issue's volatility.

But this week, Think Tank teens stepped in where adults often fear to tread, matching wits on the question: Should those younger than 18 be granted abortions without parental consent?

"This is definitely a touchy subject. This is a subject that turns friends into enemies," said Christian Mounts, 18, a McGuffey High School senior. While no enemies were made in this debate, strong opinions were exchanged.

Siding with the majority of the panelists, Mounts endorsed parents' right to know. In general, he opposes abortion and espouses other choices instead, such as keeping the child or giving it up for adoption.

Abortion is not an option for Chelsea Carnahan, either. If a teen is mature enough to have sex, she argued, she's old enough to accept the consequences. A girl should do whatever it takes to raise the child, the 16-year-old McGuffey junior said.

Falling in line with Carnahan was Adriana Vazquez, 17, a Peters Township High School senior. Vazquez asked: If a girl is younger than 18 and living at home, shouldn't she tell her parents?

Brad Kita, 18, another McGuffey senior, agreed that parents of underage teens should be informed. That, too, was the opinion of Laura Hohman, 17, a Peters Township High School senior. She said: "I think that parents should know, because until you're 18, you're not considered an adult and you're not able to make decisions on your own."

Melissa Bancroft, 17, another Peters Township High School senior, also endorsed informing parents. It would be good for parents to know so that they could help, she said. A 14-year-old is not equipped to make a decision about abortion on her own.

She pointed out, however, that there are always cases that don't fit that rule, such as incest. In that instance, getting the father's consent would not make sense, she said.

Bancroft described herself as pro-choice, even in the case of someone who needs her parents' consent. Sometimes a girl is so young her body isn't prepared to give birth and could die, she said. Bancroft acknowledged, however, that abortion should not be used as birth control.

Matt Crossland, 18, a McGuffey senior, stood alone in arguing that it should be up to the teen whether or not parents are told. What if a girl's parents refuse her an abortion, as happened with a friend of his, he asked. Although she was a good student and bright enough for college, Crossland said having the child "ruined her life."

"It's not going to ruin your life if you have a baby," said Vazquez, who said she opposes abortion except in the case of rape.

Still, Crossland argued that holding down one or more jobs and caring for a baby would allow a teen little time for being a good parent. He also wondered about the wisdom of having a baby if the mother gives it up for adoption. That could lead to depression, he said.

Separation anxiety is going to happen, but it goes away, Mounts said. If a mother realizes giving away her baby is the best thing, she'll get over the depression.

A primary objective is loving the child, Crossland said. He wondered how much time a teen parent has to spend with her child if she's working eight hours a day and going to school.

But two-parent families do not guarantee a child won't grow up dysfunctional either, Mounts answered.

"Anybody living today could have been aborted," Carnahan said. "[Teens] need to think about how would they feel if their parents didn't want to have them."

But Carnahan, who's opposed to abortion and putting a baby up for adoption, also believes if a teen is determined and has parental help, it's possible to work, go to college and raise a child.

Pressing the abortion debate further, Mounts posed the argument in a criminal context: "If I had come in here today and killed one of you, I think your parents would have been told."

"It's all about consequences, and if you can't handle it, don't do it," Carnahan said.

The dilemma might be avoided altogether, the teens agreed, if young people were better informed about the consequences of sex. Too little about the subject is covered too late for the most part, they said. Teens should get more birth control information, said Carnahan, who thinks parents and other adults are too uptight when it comes to discussing the subject with their children.

Mounts agreed, recounting an incident in which his Sunday school teacher refused to use the word sex when asked for the definition of a virgin.

Mounts also said the school system bears too much of the burden for sex education. Some of it ought to be occurring in the home, too, he said.

With teens getting pregnant at younger ages, Vazquez said, they should be taught early about the consequences of their actions.

The bottom line, Vazquez said, is: "You need to be mature enough to have a kid. None of us should be having a kid at this age."

SHOULD MINORS BE ABLE TO GET ABORTIONS WITHOUT PERMISSION?

GRAPHIC: PHOTO (7), DRAWING, DRAWING: Ted Crow/Post-Gazette:; PHOTO: Melissa Bancroft; PHOTO: Chelsea Carnahan; PHOTO: Matt Crossland; PHOTO: Laura Hohman; PHOTO: Brad Kita; PHOTO: Christian Mounts; PHOTO: Adriana Vazquez

LOAD-DATE: January 10, 2001