(The Center Square) – A long dormant Nevada abortion law requiring minors to notify their parents of an abortion has been put on pause – for now.
The law, which has never been enforced, was set to come into effect Wednesday after a federal judge’s ruling March 31. That move was paused Friday after a different federal ruling granted Planned Parenthood a chance to appeal.
The law, Senate Bill 510, was passed in 1985 and sponsored by Republican state Sen. Ray Rawson. But it was never enforced because an appeals court found it was unconstitutional based on the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling of 1973.
When Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022 by the U.S. Supreme Court, it opened the door for state-level enforcement of laws such as SB 510.
The law would require a minor’s parents to be told about the youth’s decision before an abortion, but would not require parental approval.
An estimated 18% of national abortions are performed on teenagers, as per a 2016 Guttmacher Institute study. When forced to tell their parents about an abortion, 9% of teenagers would instead conduct the procedure themselves, Stanford University reported.
Laws requiring parental notification are present in 36 states. The Nevada bill would have an option for teens to get a court order to authorize the abortion without telling their parents.
U.S. District Judge Anne Traum ruled to postpone enforcement of SB 510 while an abortions-rights advocate group, Planned Parenthood, challenges the law in the San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
At the same time, Nevadans await a major vote to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution.
Voters passed the constitutional amendment in November. If the measure passes again in 2026, it would make a reversal of the right to an abortion on the state level difficult for pro-life advocates.
The constitutional amendment would not change abortion laws or access. Nevada allows for abortions up to 24 weeks into pregnancy, the full second trimester, with extensions for cases that threaten the mother’s life.
