MANY PREGNANT TEENS decide, for any number of reasons, that parenting is not for them. Some worry that motherhood would interfere with plans for the future. Others wonder how they would cope with the day-to-day stresses of parenting, or how they would pay for a baby's needs. Some lack support from their parents or the baby's father. Girls who decide against parenting have two other options: abortion and adoption. Far more girls choose abortion over adoption, but as with parenting, the selection of either course of action requires careful consideration of the values, circumstances, and feelings of each individual. Experts suggest that it is preferable for a girl to involve her family as she makes her way through the decision process.

Abortion and the Supreme Court

Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by surgically removing the fetus or embryo and the...