Impacts of a Parental Consent Law on Teen Birth and Abortion Rates in Kansas

In 2011 Kansas passed a bill requiring minors seeking an abortion to receive notarized consent from both parents before the procedure could be performed. Kansas is one of three states who require both parents to give consent before an abortion is performed. Relying on past scholarship, a review of past literature and methodology is conducted. In this project, we quantify how this consent law impacted birth and abortion rates for teens in Kansas. Using difference-in-difference regression analysis, this study finds that the law is associated with a decrease in minor teen abortion rates and birth rates in Kansas. We also recommend points of further research to understand the impacts of the law