| Abstract: | According to several US Supreme Court decisions, minors have the right to abortions, yet various conflicts cause some uncertainty for counselors and other professionals working with minors. In defining the role of the school counselor with regard to abortions, Duncan and Moffett (1974) explained that counselors should establish a setting for clients to examine feelings and evaluate alternatives. They advised counselors against imposing their views and attitudes on clients. Walleat (1975) summarized the counselor's responsibilities as follows: view abortion in relation to the student's total involvement rather than a crisis situation; work in conjunction with other community and school programs; help students "process" information; and help students use information about abortion, even when schools fail to supply that information. Additionally, Walleat emphasized that there were possible legal and ethical issues regarding schools providing abortion information. The extent to which schools can or should provide abortion information to minors is unclear. Burgum and Anderson (1975) made some recommendations to help counselors avoid lawsuits regarding abortions. They suggested that counselors give advice only in those areas in which they are competent according to their education and work experience. In view of the proposed legislation and legal shift toward parental notification, counselors of minors should strongly encourage their clients to discuss their situation with parents. The major questions are: how far must counselors go in providing information to parents of minors; and is the legal responsibility strong enough to require counselors to break confidentiality under certain conditions. Until a major court case or legislation addresses these questions, the school counselor's role is undefined. Because parental notification about abortion for minors is unclear, professional guidelines are urgently needed to aid counselors. Professional counseling groups need to address the unresolved issues in a position paper or other materials. Until such time, the following recommendations should prove of value to counselors: counselors should urge minors to discuss abortion plans with parents and involve families in the counseling process, if possible; counselors should consider the social mores of the community; counselors should work through their national, state, and local professional organizations for directions and guidelines on abortion counseling and dissemination of abortion information for minors; and counselors should be knowledgeable about appropriate referral agencies dealing with abortions. |
