@article{THESIS,
      recid = {12272},
      author = {Solin, Malena},
      title = {Seeking an Abortion in Foster Care: Challenges Foster  Youth Face in Judicial Bypass Proceedings as Observed by  Attorneys},
      publisher = {University of Chicago},
      school = {B.A.},
      address = {2024-04},
      number = {THESIS},
      abstract = {Many states in the U.S. require parental consent for  minors to obtain abortions, creating barriers for minors in  foster care who often must obtain judicial approval for an  abortion through a process called judicial bypass. Scholars  agree that judicial bypass requirements present emotional  and logistical obstacles and that foster youth face  heightened consequences for limited abortion access, yet  there is little scholarship on foster youths’ particular  experiences of judicial bypass proceedings. In this paper,  I investigate attorneys’ observations of foster youths’  judicial bypass processes as compared to those of minors  not in foster care. Using semi-structured interviews with  attorneys who represent minors in judicial bypass hearings,  I find that foster youth face unique challenges in the  judicial bypass process due a higher potential for  retraumatization at court and surveillance by the foster  care system. Further, I find that in attorneys’  experiences, judges approve nearly all judicial bypass  petitions in states where abortion is legal, indicating  that the process creates barriers to abortion access  primarily through challenges associated with arriving at  court rather than through judicial decision. Based on these  findings, I argue that state legislatures should minimize  foster youths’ involvement with the judicial bypass process  by allowing foster parents and case workers to provide  consent for minors’ abortions or by repealing parental  consent laws and thereby eliminating the judicial bypass  requirement. The findings presented here give insight into  the challenges foster youth face in obtaining reproductive  healthcare following the Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson  Women’s Health Organization decision and reflect recent  legislative shifts toward affording minors more autonomy in  abortion decisions.},
      url = {http://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/12272},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.6082/uchicago.12272},
}